Atlético Madrid will not risk Thomas Partey in Champions League tie against RB Leipzig

Sports News of Sunday, 9 August 2020

Source: Ghana Guardian

Click to read all about coronavirus →

Athletico Madrid will not risk Thomas Partey who is a doubt for the Champions League quarter final tie against German side RB Leipzig on Thursday.

The influential Ghanaian midfielder suffered a muscular micro-break in their last game in the Spanish La Liga when they drew 1-1 with Real Sociedad.

Atlético de Madrid is already approaching the final eight of the Champions League without any risk and with lot of   its players recovered, with the likes of Diego Costa, Mario Hermoso and Kieran Trippier in this Friday’s training session, six days away going into action in the quarterfinals against Leipzig in Lisbon next Thursday, as Thomas Partey and Sime Vrsaljko continue their recovery outside the group.

The Ghanaian midfielder, with a muscle injury suffered in the last day of LaLiga Santander against Real Sociedad, and the Croatian, who has not played a duel since the resumption of the competition last June due to an arthroscopy in the knee, they are the only two players who are not available for Argentine Diego Simeone, since both are still doubtful for the resumption of the Champions League, at least for Thursday’s match.

Yes Diego Costa, Trippier and Hermoso are ready. None of the three participated in the morning training on Friday with the group, because they worked individually for load control. At the rojiblanco club they do not plan to take any risk between now and the Champions League quarter-final match against Leipzig at the José Alvalade stadium in Lisbon, in which Diego Simeone’s eleven is almost defined.

There are only two doubts: one on the right side, between Kieran Trippier and Santiago Arias, and another in the center of the field, between Héctor Herrera – more likely – and Ángel Correa. The rest of positions, except for a turnaround in the next few days, seem safe: goalkeeper Jan Oblak; the centrals Stefan Savic and José María Giménez; the left back Renan Lodi; midfielders Saúl Ñíguez and Koke Resurrección; winger Yannick Carrasco; and forwards Marcos Llorente and Diego Costa.