Atlético de Madrid will hold its last training session today before hosting Villarreal tomorrow afternoon in a new LaLiga matchday. Immediately after, Simeone will conduct the traditional pre-match press conference, where he might give some hints about the starting line-up he will use. For now, he will have two confirmed absences due to suspension, as both Javi Galán and Clement Lenglet must serve a suspension after receiving their fifth yellow card.
Meanwhile, Alexander Sorloth is pushing to be available, although he still hasn't been able to train with the rest of his teammates. Yesterday, he stepped onto the field at Cerro del Espino, but he did so individually, making it clear that it will be very difficult for him to make the team list. He has already missed two matches due to his injury, but the coaching staff doesn't want to take any unnecessary risks.
Alexander Sorloth Continues to Progress
The Norwegian forward is Atlético de Madrid's top scorer in the league, which is quite surprising given his role. The most important goals from the former Villarreal player have come off the bench, making him a very useful player to shake up matches. He took advantage of his starting role in Elche to score a brace before halftime, but he was substituted as a precaution and didn't play in the second half.
He hasn't trained with the rest of his teammates and didn't travel to face Leganés nor was he included in the team list for the last match against Bayer Leverkusen. Yesterday, he was able to step onto the field, although he worked individually and with the hope of being available for tomorrow. Everything will depend on today's session, as for Alexander Sorloth, it is surely a very special match due to his past.
Simeone is Considering His Starting Eleven
The Argentine coach surprised with the line-up in the last Champions League matchday, giving starting roles to players who were expected to be substitutes. Josema Giménez returned from his muscle injury, while Nahuel Molina, Giuliano Simeone, and Marcos Llorente were all on the right flank. Additionally, it was surprising that in such a physical and demanding match, he didn't start with Conor Gallagher, a specialist in those types of encounters.
Looking ahead to tomorrow, everything points to Robin le Normand and Reinildo being starters in defense due to the absences Simeone will surely have. It should be noted that next week the rojiblancos will travel to Salzburg with the obligation to win to secure their place in the next round among the top eight. The team is aware of the demanding schedule ahead and will seek to manage their efforts as much as possible.