Madrid, Sep 13 (IANS) Atletico Madrid suffered a major setback ahead of their La Liga clash against Real Sociedad, with forward Julian Alvarez ruled out of the match after a muscle strain sustained in training.
Alvarez was initially included in Diego Simeone’s plans for the trip to San Sebastian but was forced to withdraw after sustaining an injury during Saturday’s training session.
The Spanish club confirmed the Argentine’s absence following medical tests.
“Julian is not travelling to San Sebastián due to muscle strain, which forced him to withdraw from yesterday’s training session,” Atletico Madrid said in a statement. “After the relevant tests, the medical staff have ruled out his participation in today’s match.”
The injury comes at a crucial stage for Alvarez, who had recently returned to Simeone’s starting XI. He played the full 90 minutes in Atletico’s Champions League encounter against Liverpool at Anfield last Wednesday.
His latest setback leaves Atletico without one of their key attacking players as they seek to recover from consecutive defeats.
The Madrid-based side suffered a defeat to Athletic Club at San Mames before losing to Liverpool in Europe. Simeone’s team are now looking to end that losing run against Real Sociedad.
Alvarez’s absence also compounds the club’s attacking problems. Pablo Barrios and Alexander Sorloth are also unavailable, leaving Simeone with limited options in the forward positions.
Atletico will be hoping their available players can step up and help the team return to winning ways at the Reale Arena.
For Simeone, the immediate challenge will be to maintain his side’s attacking threat without Alvarez, particularly as Atletico is desperate for points after their difficult start to the campaign.
Atletico currently sits eighth in the La Liga points table. They have won two of their four matches and drawn one. The 11-time champions will now look to improve their position when they face Real Sociedad.
–IANS
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