Atletico Madrid will have star midfielder available for Tottenham Hotspur tie | OneFootball

Atletico Madrid host Tottenham Hotspur in the first leg of the Champions League Round of 16 tie on Tuesday evening, as they seek to give themselves an advantage ahead of the return leg in north London eight days later. Diego Simeone is finally hoping to achieve success in the competition after near misses in the past, and his side’s chances of progression have been boosted in the last 48 hours.

Spurs will arrive at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano in very poor form, having lost their last five matches in the Premier League. On the other hand, Atleti are imperious at home, so they will fancy their chances of securing a big win to take to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium the following week.

The good news for Atleti is that Pablo Barrios will be available to help their cause. The 22-year-old has been out since early February with a thigh injury, but as per Diario AS, he will be ready to face Spurs on Tuesday.

Barrios had been in excellent form prior to picking up the injury in Atleti’s Copa del Rey victory over Real Betis. He has been missed in the month since then, but crucially, he returns in time for a key run of fixtures for Los Colchoneros.

Barrios won’t play against Real Sociedad

Understandably, Atleti are not prepared to take any risks with Barrios ahead of the Spurs tie. The idea is for him to resume group training on Sunday, meaning that he will not be available to face Real Sociedad the previous day.

Simeone is unlikely to risk many of his regular starters for that match, despite the fact that Atleti are involved in the race for the Champions League spots alongside Villarreal and Betis. The three teams are separated by only eight points ahead of this weekend’s set of La Liga fixtures.