Atleti gears up for Osasuna and the derby, with Álvarez out

Atlético Madrid resumed training this Monday at the club’s facilities after their weekend win at Anoeta against Real Sociedad, with a tough week ahead. As Mundo Deportivo reports, the session led by Diego Pablo Simeone was affected by the infirmary, and the immediate schedule is clear: Osasuna visit the Metropolitano this Wednesday, followed by the league derby on Sunday against Real Madrid.

A week of back-to-back tests

Alexander Sørloth, Julián Álvarez and Pablo Barrios were kept apart from the group due to muscle-related discomfort and physical issues. The biggest concern is in attack: Mundo Deportivo states that Julián Álvarez is ruled out for the midweek league match at home to Osasuna, while his chances of playing the derby are described as very much in doubt.

Simeone needs another forward plan

With that situation, Simeone will have to reshuffle the front line. The same source indicates that Jonathan David is set to act as the main reference against Osasuna after scoring his first goal against Real Sociedad; the Canadian trained as the only natural striker available for Wednesday’s game.

Ademola Lookman is also mentioned as an alternative, but Mundo Deportivo says the coach believes it makes more sense to use him as a winger rather than a number nine. Whether David starts will depend on Simeone’s choices and, above all, on how Julián and Sørloth progress, with the latter described as being in the final stage of recovery.

Captain Koke carried out a separate session to manage workload, and he is expected to be ready for Wednesday, according to the same report. Players who logged more than 45 minutes in the match handled recovery work as usual.