Atlético de Madrid have named their squad for Saturday lunchtime’s fixture against Espanyol, and Diego Simeone will take a shorthanded squad to Barcelona in round nine of LaLiga.
Midfielders Koke and Johnny Cardoso are not making the trip to RCDE Stadium, where Atlético have not won since September 2021. Cardoso, who is becoming a key midfielder in his second season at the club, did not train Thursday or Friday due to gastroenteritis. It is unknown as to whether the United States international will
be fit for Tuesday’s UEFA Champions League fixture away to VfB Stuttgart.
Koke has had a difficult week following the death of his mother on Tuesday, which saw him miss that night’s 2-0 victory over Manchester United. The captain returned to training on Thursday with specialized gym work, but on Friday, the club announced that he had suffered a left hamstring strain. That rules him out for the Espanyol game and almost certainly the Stuttgart fixture as well.
Atlético (6-1-1, 19 points) have picked up only one win over Espanyol (2-2-4, 8 points) from the past six encounters between the two. Dating to December 2017, Atleti have won just five of 14 meetings with Espanyol and have a putrid 1-3-3 record at RCDE Stadium.
Cholo Simeone is expected to rotate on Saturday as Atleti will play a third game in less than a week. The Colchoneros trail league leaders Barcelona by five points and are level on points with Real Betis; both sides are ahead of Real Madrid by a single point. Betis host Barça later on Saturday, while Real Madrid host surprise package Sevilla on Sunday night.
