News · From the live show
Atlético head to Barcelona without Koke and Johnny Cardoso
Koke has a muscle injury, while Cardoso is out with acute gastroenteritis
Rubén Uría goes through Atlético's statement on Koke's muscle injury
Atlético will be missing two key midfielders at Cornellà. Koke, who is grieving the death of his mother, also has a muscle injury, and Cardoso is unavailable. Barrios and Hjulmand look likely to form the midfield pairing.
Rubén Uría sums up the two pieces of news from Atlético's final training session before their trip to Espanyol. The first is the absence of Johnny Cardoso. The second is that of Jorge Resurrección, 'Koke'.
It was known that the captain was going through a very difficult time following the death of his mother, Ana, but the club released a statement revealing a physical problem as well: a muscle injury in his left thigh, still to be assessed.
Atlético's medical update reads: 'Koke has suffered a muscle injury in his left thigh. Our captain will undergo both physiotherapy sessions and rehabilitation work in the gym, and the progress of his injury will determine his return to competition.'
As a result, Atlético will travel to Barcelona without two of their midfielders. Uría expects changes in the middle of the park, with both Pablo Barrios and Morten Hjulmand strong favourites to start at Cornellà.