Diego Simeone has been handed mixed team news as he prepares his Atletico Madrid side to go up against Liverpool on Tuesday, according to a match preview by Sky Sports.
Los Rojiblancos will meet the current Champions League champions in the stadium Jurgen Klopp’s side lifted the trophy last May and will be looking to be the team to send them packing in the first round of knockout fixtures.
Indeed, it appears the La Liga outfit have been given a timely boost with the likes of Diego Costa, Alvaro Morata and Jose Gimenez all being in contention after spells out on the sidelines.
Both forwards have a history of playing against the Reds when plying their trade for Chelsea, however it is only the Brazilian-born 31-year-old who has had any joy in front of goal against them as he has netted twice in six games (per TransferMarkt). The former Real Madrid man failed to do so in his three outings for the Blues (TransferMarkt).
However, Morata has found life a little better in the Champions League as he has two goals in five matches (WhoScored), whereas Costa has failed to register in his four appearances (WhoScored).
Gimenez’s return could also be a welcomed boost for Atletico, as the Uruguayan enforcer averages a mammoth 4.3 clearances per game in his three competition outings this season (WhoScored).
But, Simeone will have to deal with the absences of Joao Felix and Kieran Trippier, which could make life difficult for Los Rojiblancos on Tuesday.
The 20-year-old Portuguese youngster offers plenty going forward for the La Liga outfit, having averaged four shots per game in Europe’s elite competition with two goals in his four appearances (WhoScored).
Indeed, Trippier will have had the experience of playing Liverpool before as well during his playing days at Tottenham Hotspur and Burnley, as he came up against them eight times across all competitions (TransferMarkt).
The 29-year-old has also averaged a solid 1.5 tackles in his four outings in the Champions League (WhoScored), which could be considered a rather unfortunate loss.