Julian Alvarez has been ruled out of Atletico Madrid’s Champions League opener against Liverpool on Wednesday, with USMNT midfielder Johnny Cardoso also absent from Diego Simeone’s 22-man squad.
Alvarez, who joined Atletico from Manchester City in 2024, has been a key figure early this season with two goal contributions in four appearances. However, the Argentina forward picked up a knee injury during the 2-0 win over Villarreal and has not recovered in time.
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Simeone confirmed, “He felt discomfort after the Villarreal game and will not travel. We hope to have him back soon.”
Cardoso, signed from Real Betis this summer for $35m, is also unavailable after spraining his ankle in training earlier this week. His absence leaves Atletico short in midfield options for the trip to Merseyside. Other notable omissions include Thiago Almada, Jose Maria Gimenez, and Alex Baena.
Liverpool, the reigning Premier League champions, host Atletico at Anfield in Group Stage Matchday 1. Simeone’s side, currently 11th in La Liga, will then turn their focus to Sunday’s domestic clash away to Real Mallorca.