Atletico Madrid aims to travel to London next week with most of their squad fit, as they seek to secure a place in the Champions League final. However, the first leg against Arsenal has raised some injury concerns.
The encouraging news for Diego Simeone is that Julian Alvarez has avoided serious injury after experiencing ankle discomfort that led to his substitution late in the second half. Nonetheless, Atletico does have a couple of additional fitness worries as they prepare for their outing to the Emirates.
Alexander Sorloth Sustains Hamstring Strain in Warm-Up
It was unexpected that Alexander Sorloth did not participate at all in the match, and Diego Simeone opted not to play him. After the game, Sporting Director Mateu Alemany disclosed that Sorloth had incurred an injury during the warm-up.
“He had been resting for almost a week due to a knock on the back of his leg. Unfortunately, during the warm-up, he aggravated the injury while making some movements and was unable to play. Just bad luck,” he stated to Movistar+, as reported by Marca. Diego Simeone later confirmed that he felt discomfort in his hamstring.
Giuliano Simeone Also Striving to Be Fit for the Second Leg
Another concern is Giuliano Simeone, who was substituted at half-time.
“Giuliano took a hit to the waist in an early encounter with Hincapie, which caused him significant discomfort. Let’s hope it’s nothing serious,” his father remarked to Diario AS after the match, although he also stated he couldn’t envision any of the players missing the match against Arsenal on Tuesday.
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Initially, Nicolas Gonzalez was slated to start in place of Giuliano, but he too sustained an injury during training on Tuesday. Giuliano has been managing fitness issues since the Copa del Rey final, while Jose Maria Gimenez’s status for return remains uncertain. Additionally, midfielder Pablo Barrios will also be unavailable for the second leg.