Two Atletico Madrid stars will miss the Real Madrid match: who are they? | OneFootball

An influential absence from Diego Simeone's team.

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Fresh off a morale-boosting win over Rayo Vallecano, Atlético Madrid’s preparations for the high-stakes Madrid Derby have suffered a setback. The team will be without two pivotal summer arrivals, Johnny Cardoso and Thiago Almada, when they face their fierce rivals, Real Madrid.

Both players, who already missed Wednesday’s fixture due to injury, were absent from this morning’s recovery session. According to journalist Pedro Fullana of SER, their respective injury issues will keep them on the sidelines for the upcoming clash, leaving manager Diego Simeone without their influence in the midfield.

The news casts a shadow over what had otherwise been a positive midweek for Atlético, with a Julián Alvarez hat-trick delivering a much-needed three points for Los Rojiblancos.