Atletico Madrid are hoping to head to London next week with the majority of their squad available to try and secure a spot in the Champions League final. Yet the first leg against Arsenal has brought with it some physical concerns.
The positive news for Diego Simeone is that Julian Alvarez has escaped injury following ankle pain that forced him off late in the second half of the game. Los Colchoneros do have two further fitness concerns ahead of their trip to the Emirates though.
Alexander Sorloth picked up hamstring strain in warm-up
It came as something of a surprise that Alexander Sorloth did not feature at all during the clash, but the Norwegian was not used by Diego Simeone. After the match, Sporting Director Mateu Alemany revealed that he had sustained an injury in the warm-up.
“He was resting for a week, practically until Monday, after a knock to the back of his leg, and it seems that during the warm-up, while making some movements, he aggravated it and couldn’t play. Bad luck,” he told Movistar+, via Marca. Diego Simeone later confirmed he had discomfort in his hamstring.
Giuliano Simeone also battling to be fit for second leg
Another player that caused concern was Giuliano Simeone, who was withdrawn at half-time.
“Giuliano made contact with Hincapie early on, a blow to the waist that bothered him a lot. Let’s hope it’s nothing serious,” his father told Diario AS after the match, but said he couldn’t imagine that any of three would not be at the Emirates against Arsenal on Tuesday.
Originally, Nicolas Gonzalez was due to start in Giuliano’s stead, but he too picked up an injury in training on Tuesday. Giuliano has been struggling for fitness since the Copa del Rey final too. Jose Maria Gimenez’s return is something of an unknown, while midfielder Pablo Barrios will also miss the second leg.
