Julian Alvarez set for tests as Diego Simeone issues injury update ahead of Arsenal showdown | OneFootball

Argentine forward had to be substituted late in the second half

The Argentine was back in the Atletico starting line-up on Wednesday night after being rested completely for the 3-2 win over Athletic Club at the weekend.

However, the forward’s involvement in the Champions League semi-final first leg came to an end with around 11 minutes remaining of normal time at the Metropolitano Stadium.

After being attended to by the Atletico medical staff, Alvarez walked off the pitch and was replaced by Alex Baena.

Amid fears that the striker, who is a transfer target for Arsenal, is a doubt for next week’s second leg in north London, Simeone has issued an update on his leading goalscorer.

"They'll run tests to see what's going on with him,” the Atletico Madrid boss told reporters in the post-match press conference.

"I'm always optimistic.”

Alvarez equalised for Atletico early in the second half with an emphatic penalty after Ben White had been penalised for handball following a VAR review.

Julian Alvarez converted his penalty against Arsenal

Getty

"The first half was evenly matched – maybe they had more possession, but they didn't create many chances,” Simeone added. “They have a very strong squad: when the substitutes came on, they were better than the starters.

“Even so, we were better than them in the second half.

"They eased off a bit, and we got our organisation together. We were better at the back and created chances through [Antoine] Griezmann and [Ademola] Lookman.

"Today was incredible. Rarely have we seen such enthusiasm as we had at the start of the match. They won’t all be there for the second leg, but their hearts and souls will be."