Atletico Madrid have plenty of injury issues to contend with, on the eve of the Madrid derby, especially so in the midfield. They really miss the leadership of injury-riddled club captain Koke while Pablo Barrios “suffered a muscular injury in his right leg,” according to the club, during the first half of the midweek Champions League loss to Lazio.
Thomas Lemar will join the club’s walking wounded, for the long-term, after rupturing his Achilles tendon.
El Derbi Madrileño FYIs
Kickoff: Sun. Sept. 24, 8pm, Civitas Metropolitan Stadium, Madrid, Spain
Starting XI Predictions: Real Madrid Atletico Madrid
Team News: Real Madrid Atletico Madrid
Transatlantic Passage: How the Premier League Redefined Soccer in America: LINK
La Liga Position, Form: Real Madrid 1st, 15 pts, WWWWW Atletico Madrid 7th, 7 pts, LWDW
Google Result Probability: Real Madrid 37% Draw 28% Atletico Madrid 35%
And we’re just scratching the surface on the unavailable list here for Atletico. Let’s dive into the rest of the injuries.
Atletico Madrid Team News
Axel Witsel is a strong doubt for this rivalry clash after having limped off early, in the midweek UCL defeat. Vitolo and Reinildo remain sidelined as long-term injury absentees. Elsewhere Dutch winger Memphis Depay will miss out here with an unspecified muscular injury.
Additionally, Argentinian Rodrigo De Paul will probably be absent as he battles a muscular issue of his own.
And finally, our list concludes with former Leicester City man Caglar Soyuncu out with a hip issue until just before the October international break. Got all that?!
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He’s written for numerous publications, including the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. He regularly appears on NTD News and WGN News Now. Follow the website on Twitter and Instagram.