Following Samuel Lino’s knee injury against Celta Vigo last weekend, which is expected to keep the Brazilian out of action for the next couple of weeks, it has left Diego Simeone short on options at left-wing back.
Javi Galan and Rodrigo Riquelme are the only two who can realistically play there, with Reinildo Mandava also available as he continues his recovery from a serious knee injury. The former started against Celtic on Wednesday, although he was substituted at half time after a below-par performance.
Riquelme replaced him, and had better luck in the second half in Glasgow. However, MD say that Simeone could still keep faith with Galan despite his poor display for this weekend’s match against Alaves at the Civitas Metropolitano.
❗️| It is not ruled out that Diego Simeone wants to support Javi Galán and give him another chance by starting him against Deportivo Alavés on Sunday, despite his performance last night.
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— Atletico Universe (@atletiuniverse) October 26, 2023
The Celtic match was Galan’s first start for Atletico Madrid since joining from Celta in the summer, so you could make the argument that he was rusty. He may get the chance to redeem himself against Alaves, although Simeone could be ruthless and opt for Riquelme in Lino’s absence.
