Atletico Madrid are without Samuel Lino, who has won the early battle for the left flank spot after the departure of Yannick Carrasco to Saudi Arabia this summer. But with the Brazilian injured, it leaves the position up for grabs again, with a trip to Celtic Park on Wednesday.
The two main candidates are Javi Galan, who is a natural left-back, and Rodrigo Riquelme, who generally has played as a left winger further forward. Riquelme (223 minutes) has been trusted more often than Galan (98 minutes) though, and is in pole position to occupy the role.
His defensive qualities will no doubt be tested in Glasgow, the ground that Riquelme could well have called home. Diario AS detail that Celtic were keen to sign Riquelme on loan three seasons ago, but instead he ended up at Bournemouth in the Championship.
His performance, if Riquelme is used there, could well go a long way to deciding his role this season. If he can prove himself, then it seems he will be the back-up to Lino by default, whereas Diego Simeone may consider looking more closely at Galan if he struggles.
Simeone recently hinted that Galan still has some adapting to do to his system, highlighting the likes of Jose Maria Gimenez and Antoine Griezmann as examples of players who have been successful after slower starts to their careers in Madrid.
