Atletico miss Sorloth and Arnau for Anfield trip

Atletico Madrid travel to Liverpool with a clear problem for their Champions League 26/27 opener: Diego Simeone won’t be able to call on two players for the Wednesday match at Anfield against the ‘red’ side, in the first matchday of the league phase. As Mundo Deportivo reports, the coach loses two key pieces for different reasons.

Two major absences

The first is Alexander Sorloth. The forward picked up the injury a week before the season officially began and has been dealing with a muscular contracture since then, which has kept him from training with the group. As a result, he has also not featured in a single match so far.

The second absence is Arnau Ortiz. The Catalan winger, who is registered with the first team, will miss Anfield due to a suspension he has been serving since two years ago.

The ban dates back to Poland

Mundo Deportivo goes back to August 2024, when Arnau was sent off for Slask Wroclaw in a Conference League qualifying match. It was the second leg against St. Gallen after the 2-0 defeat in Switzerland.

In that return game, Arnau came on in extra time while the tie was still in play. A few minutes later he received a booking for simulation and another for protesting, leading to his dismissal. Mundo Deportivo also notes that the Polish side eventually lost despite the match state, with St. Gallen scoring late.

For the Anfield clash, the focus now is on who will fill the gaps in Simeone’s setup, especially with Sorloth still ruled out and Arnau unavailable through suspension.