Jimenez ready to make his mark at Atletico

By Tim Hanlon BARCELONA (Reuters) - Atletico Madrid's Raul Jimenez is waiting in the wings should Mario Mandzukic lose his fitness battle for the Champions League clash with Olympiakos Piraeus on Wednesday and says he is ready to make his mark on the team. The striker has made a slow start since his arrival at the Calderon in the close season from Mexican side America but he has shown glimpses that he could be the 'new David Villa'. Although he has given the Mexican international limited chances, coach Diego Simeone has plenty of belief in the 23-year-old Jimenez, whose pace and movement has earned comparisons with that of Villa, who left at the end of the last campaign. Mandzukic picked up a back injury in the 3-1 victory over Malaga in La Liga on Saturday and Jimenez, who replaced him, looked lively, causing plenty of problems for the Andalusian side. Jimenez is now pushing for a starting place against Olympiakos, who beat Atletico at home, but it depends on the fitness of the Croat. Atletico lead Group A on nine points and can seal qualification for the knockout stage with a win over Olympiakos who are tied with Juventus in second place on six points. "I am happy here. When I arrived, nobody said it was going to be easy," Jimenez told reporters. "I have a lot of ambition and the desire to progress and make my own history here. "At the moment, I need to keep going and adapt myself to the team. It is a case of going step by step and you never stop learning new things. "I have a lot of belief in what I can do and it is what you need, along with working hard, to make an impact when you are given a chance in games." Atletico will be looking to take advantage of an Olympiakos side who could well be rusty with league fixtures having been suspended earlier this month following an attack on a refereeing official. Olympiakos coach Michel is full of praise for Simeone and is expecting a tough clash. "I know the mentality of Simeone very well and I think he is an incredible person," the Spaniard told the Olympiakos club website. "Hopefully, things will work out for us but Atletico are a strong side and slight favourites." (Editing by Ian Chadband)