Diego Simeone’s Atlético de Madrid side is dealing with numerous injuries as Saturday night’s home match against Deportivo de A Coruña gets ever closer.
According to the squad list published Friday, Cristian Romero (adductor) and captain Koke (hamstring) remain unavailable for the second and third straight games respectively, while Johnny Cardoso has been added to the list of injured players after he ended Tuesday’s draw at Stuttgart with a low-grade
hamstring strain in his left leg.
That leaves Pablo Barrios and Morten Hjulmand as the probable starting midfield pair, although Marcos Llorente could be shifted there for Dépor’s visit. In addition, Rodrigo Mendoza and Obed Vargas are options, albeit more remote.
Lee Kang-in — who missed the Stuttgart game with a quadriceps knock — should be able to play after he trained Thursday and Friday. Cardoso could be available to face Levante next Saturday, while Romero’s absence could stretch into the following week, when Atlético host Bayern Munich in a blockbuster UEFA Champions League fixture. It is unknown when Koke will return.
Despite the side’s physical fragility, Atlético (7-1-1, 22 points) will hope to take advantage of Clásico weekend in LaLiga by beating newly-promoted Dépor (2-5-2, 11 points) and waiting to see if leaders Barcelona drop points to Real Madrid on Sunday night. Entering matchday 10, Barça hold a five-point lead over Atleti in the table.
Atleti have not faced Dépor in a league match since 2018, when Kévin Gameiro slotted a second-half penalty to lead the Colchoneros to a 1-0 home win. The sides squared off in a Copa del Rey round of 16 tie in January, when an Antoine Griezmann free kick saw Atleti leave Riazor with another 1-0 win.
This fixture will mark Josema Giménez’s return to the Riyadh Air Metropolitano, some six weeks after Atlético and Dépor agreed a season-long loan for the veteran defender. In a press conference this week, Giménez acknowledged that his time at Atleti has ended, a hint that the clubs may strike a permanent deal for the 31-year-old center-back in the months ahead.
“Even though I’m still technically on loan, people more or less know that I won’t be returning to the club,” Giménez said Wednesday. “And it’s not because I don’t want to or anything like that; it’s simply the reality of the situation.”
