Atletico Madrid have had a rather inconsistent season. Diego Simeone’s side started very well, but little by little they began to stumble, which meant that they were far from first place in LaLiga and did not finish in the top eight of the Champions League. That is why the Copa del Rey semi-finals are very important and before the first leg, the club received some good news.
Atleti’s squad has been affected by injuries, with several matches in which Cholo has not had all his players available, so the recovery of one of his players could be key for the duel against Barcelona.
Cholo Simeone recovers an important player
One of the big absentees for the Spanish team was the Argentine, Nico Gonzalez, who did not play in the defeat against Betis in LaLiga, but is now ready to play in the first leg of the semi-final against Barcelona at the Metropolitano.
Gonzalez arrived as a reinforcement this season and has had some very good games, but injuries have played havoc with him. Now, the former Juventus player has a unique opportunity to earn Simeone’s trust and hopes to make it into the starting XI.
Gonzalez’s return is key considering the challenges facing Atletico Madrid, as they have the Champions League match against Club Brugge, so it is important to have a large squad in a very demanding schedule.
Julian Alvarez could benefit from the return of Nico Gonzalez
One of the players who has been most criticised lately by Atletico fans is Julian Alvarez. The Argentine striker had a good start to the season, but he has now gone 100 days without scoring a goal, which is 11 games and that worries Cholo’s team.
Atletico Madrid are aware of Julian’s quality and are therefore not panicking, but they need him now more than ever and the return of Nico Gonzalez could help.
Gonzalez and Julian know each other quite well and the return of the former Juventus player could be key for Alvarez to have more confidence and get together with his national team-mate. Atletico will host Barcelona on Thursday for the first leg of the Copa del Rey semi-final and Los Colchoneros hope that the former River Plate player will return to scoring.
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