Six points from the top of the table, Atlético de Madrid will visit Getafe this Sunday (6.30pm, Movistar LaLiga) with the loss of Jan Oblak to a knee injury and the more than possible absence of Giuliano Simeone from the eleven, due to a muscle problem. The Argentine winger did not train with the group either on Friday or Saturday, despite being included in the squad. “In principle Oblak will not participate, Giuliano will be called up and we will see his evolution to see if he leaves or waits,” Diego Pablo Simeone explained on Saturday.
Excluding Oblak, Juan Musso will return to the scene. Purchased this summer from Atalanta, after last year’s loan, last season he played in the Cup (seven matches, including the semi-final with Barça) and two league matches, in San Mamés (0-1), on the second day of the championship and in the last matchday in Girona (0-4). Musso has the full trust of Simeone, who signed him with the aim of giving Oblak tougher competition.
To cover the possible replacement of Giuliano, Simeone ponders between moving Nico González to the right and aligning Almada on the left. The other option adopted by the Argentine coach is for Barrios to play on the right, Baena to accompany Koke in the center and Nico González to remain on the left.
With only one win away from home so far this season, against Betis (0-2), Bordalás’ Getafe have always been a complex rival for Atlético despite having never defeated them until the second round of the previous season with Simeone on the bench. That defeat (2-1) did a lot of damage because it started to take Atlético out of the championship fight in the final third of the championship. Then, almost consecutively, they lost in the Champions League to Real Madrid in the round of 16 and Barcelona eliminated them in the semi-finals of the Cup.
“We don’t stop at last season’s match, we look at Getafe’s moment, which continues to evolve year after year in the competition of all matches and adds many more offensive things than years ago. This means that we will have a tough, difficult and competitive rival like Getafe.” Simeone warned in the match preview that Atlético must win to stay in the championship fight.
