Alexander Sorloth was forced to watch Atletico’s Champions League semi-final against Arsenal from the stands after aggravating a knock during the warm-up, adding to Diego Simeone’s selection headaches as the club also awaits news on Julian Alvarez.
Atletico Madrid forward Alexander Sorloth suffered a cruel setback during Wednesday’s warm-up, aggravating an injury originally sustained ten days ago in the Copa del Rey final against Real Sociedad. Consequently, he was withdrawn from the matchday squad for the first leg of the Champions League semi-final.
Mateu Alemany, the club’s Director of Professional Men’s Football, clarified the reason for the striker’s absence during a post-match interview with “Movistar+” at the Metropolitano.
“He spent the previous week, practically up until Monday, nursing a knock to the back of his leg. It appears that during the warm-up, a specific movement caused the issue to flare up again, rendering him unable to play. It is simply bad luck,” the director stated.
Diego Simeone later elaborated, noting that Alexander Sorloth “felt some discomfort in his leg.” The manager added: “We took the decision to protect him to ensure we didn’t aggravate the situation further.”
Sorloth’s fitness concerns come at a difficult time for Atletico, coinciding with a fresh injury scare for Julian Alvarez. The Argentine was unable to complete the match due to discomfort and is now awaiting the results of medical tests to determine the severity of the issue and his expected spell on the sidelines.
