Report: Atletico Madrid handed potential injury blow as four stars could miss Liverpool clash
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The Champions League returns this week as Liverpool take on Atletico Madrid on Wednesday.
September is always one of the busiest periods of the season for the Reds and this year is no different, with there being five games left to play in just 15 days.
It is a good job that Liverpool spent well this summer as they will need all the players they have to chip in with important contributions, just like so many have already done this season.
For the fourth successive week, they needed a last-minute winner to seal the victory, this time stealing all three points away from a resolute Burnley side.
Wednesday sees them face a much different entity, however, with Atletico Madrid their first opponents of the new Champions League campaign.
The Spanish giants are notoriously hard to beat, but they might be without some very important stars for this upcoming clash.
Photo by Flor Tan Jun/Getty Images
Diego Simeone’s side are, arguably, one of the worst teams to get in the Champions League, with his team very solid defensively, while having that nasty side to them that could cause some problems.
Their last eight meetings also show just how tight their games have been, with both winning three apiece.
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But, the Reds had a successful time in the new group phase last season after finishing top out of 36 teams, meaning they might be quietly confident.
As well as this, Spanish outlet Diario AS have reported that Atletico are suffering from somewhat of an injury crisis at the moment, with some key stars potentially unavailable for their trip to Anfield.
They state that Robin Le Normand and Nicolas Gonzalez, who were two of four taken off due to injury during their win on Saturday, could feature but need last fitness tests to decide.
READ MORE: Liverpool fans are all calling for Arne Slot to make the same change to his starting line-up after narrow Burnley win
As for David Hancko, who Arne Slot used to coach at Feyenoord, he was rested for the game, only to come on in the 76th minute and be taken off again seven minutes later with a sprained ankle.
He is expected to miss out.
And then the big one, Julian Alvarez, he also had to go off due to picking up a knee injury, with the Argentine only lasting until half-time.
Whether the former Manchester City striker was substituted due to being unable to carry on or as a precaution is not yet known, but either way it is far from ideal for Simeone heading into this big game.
Slot opted for the exact same line-up against Burnley on Sunday as the one that beat Arsenal just before the international break, but changes will likely occur for this midweek meeting.
Andy Robertson will likely come in to replace Milos Kerkez after the left-back’s 38-minute cameo, while Dominik Szoboszlai will likely be replaced at right-back by either Conor Bradley or Jeremie Frimpong.
Then, with Alexis Mac Allister’s fitness worries continuing, the Hungarian will likely take up a starting role in his more preferred midfield position.
The front three will likely remain the same, but Slot did indicate that Alexander Isak could make his Liverpool debut during this one, suggesting he is one to keep an eye on.