Julián Álvarez misses Atlético Madrid’s Champions League opener | OneFootball

Atlético de Madrid will face a tough challenge in their Champions League debut: against Liverpool, this Tuesday from 16:00 at the always difficult Anfield. Beyond the hope that is felt in the Spanish capital, the bulging vein in Diego Simeone's neck denotes concern. This is because Julián Álvarez will not travel to England and will miss this key clash to start off on the right foot.

The Spider was ruled out of the squad due to a right knee injury he has been dragging since last weekend, when he was replaced at halftime against Villarreal at home. This problem, which tests confirmed to be a mild strain, appeared in the play of the first Atletico goal, when he turned to enable Pablo Barrios in the 1-0 at nine minutes of the initial stage.

Despite the discomfort in the joint, the Argentine forward completed the initial 45 minutes before chatting with Cholo in the dressing room and staying on the bench during the second half. Since then he has worked differently, under the watchful eye of the medical staff, who recommended not risking him for the European debut, even though the Reds are on the other side and Julián is Atletico's star player.

The absence of the former River player will not be the only one. Thiago Almada will also not be available after returning injured from the last double date of the South American Qualifiers with the Argentina National Team. Johnny Cardoso, with an ankle sprain, Álex Baena and José María Giménez are added to this list.

Among the positive news, David Hancko recovered in time from a sprain and will be among the squad, as well as Nicolás González (who debuted with a goal last weekend) and Robin Le Normand.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.