Julian Alvarez and Diego Simeone (Photo by Dan Mullan, Fran Santiago/Getty Images)
Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone has spoken about the injury situation of Julian Alvarez, who was sent off in last night’s 1-1 draw with Arsenal.
Alvarez was a star player for Simeone’s side and scored from the penalty spot in yesterday’s Champions League semi-final first leg, but was sent off with 13 minutes remaining.
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The Argentine international should be fit enough to play at the Emirates Stadium, which will be a big worry for Atletico fans ahead of next week’s second leg.
Speaking after last night’s game, Simeone revealed he was not too concerned about the fitness of Alvarez or the other players, saying he expected them all to be fit for the trip to north London.
Diego Simeone provides update on Julian Alvarez’s injury status
“I don’t think there will be any players who won’t play on Tuesday,” Simeone said, as reported by Metro.
“They may be feeling some physical discomfort at the moment. Giuliano has a bruise, Julien has fallen in the middle of the pitch and Soros has injured his hamstring, but there is no doubt that they will play.”
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Alvarez has scored 20 goals in 48 games this season, 10 of which came in the Champions League.
The 26-year-old will undoubtedly be key to Atletico’s chances of reaching the Champions League final, but Arsenal fans would surely feel a lot better if their side could avoid playing him again next week.
Who will win the Champions League?
| champions league | final appearance | victory |
| bayern munich | 11 | 6 |
| P.S.G. | 2 | 1 |
| atlético madrid | 3 | 0 |
| arsenal | 1 | 0 |
After this week’s first leg encounter, it is difficult to predict who will advance as the semi-finals look evenly matched.
Paris Saint-Germain lead by just one goal over Bayern Munich after a thrilling 5-4 win at the Parc des Princes, and it is thought that Vincent Kompany’s side could still be slim favorites with the second leg at home.
Arsenal, on the other hand, beat Atletico 4-0 at the Emirates in their first league game of the season, and while they may be slight favorites to win this game, Simeone’s side cannot be underestimated and have improved greatly since their early season encounter.
