Diego Simeone has hailed Angel Correa as a distinctive attacking threat as he looks to improve Atletico Madrid's misfiring forward line.

Atletico look to be close to their best from a defensive perspective this season, having only conceded three goals in all competitions since the 2-2 Champions League draw with Juventus on September 18.

Simeone's attack has looked rather insipid in 2019-20, though: Atleti have scored more than twice in a match on just one occasion this term and have managed 10 goals in their past 10 games in all competitions.

Correa has not scored in any of his 11 appearances this term, but Simeone believes the 24-year-old could be the key to unlocking deep-lying defences and giving the likes of Diego Costa and Alvaro Morata more opportunities.

"He feels more comfortable as a striker, but when he plays on the wing, he is also very dangerous," Simeone said ahead of his side's trip to Bayer Leverkusen on Wednesday.

"When he's in a great moment, the team grows in such a way as there are few players like him."

Simeone believes luck has not been on Atleti's side this season, but he insists it is important to give his players confidence as they look for a win on Wednesday that will put them into the Champions League last 16 if Lokomotiv Moscow lose to Juventus.

"We've had chances in all our matches," he said. "Against Getafe, for example, we missed a penalty at 1-0; against Leganes, we had a handball against Morata; against Valencia, a handball against [Santiago] Arias; in Sevilla, it was Costa first and then Morata.

"When we improve and we maintain the bases at the structure of the team, I'm sure will improve this area.

"We try, according to what the players have done on the pitch, to transmit confidence and security to them, all the players.

"Until the very end, you have to look for every formula to help them. That's what we're doing."