Atleti make it five wins in a row with a 2-0 UCL victory over Manchester United — Barrios and Lookman the heroes — and now turn attention to Espanyol in LaLiga with Koke and Cardoso both absent from training.
Pablo Barrios opened inside a minute and Lookman sealed it late to give Atleti their first Champions League win of 26/27. United were reduced to 10 men after Leny Yoro's dismissal. The five-game winning run now reads 13-2 on aggregate — this team is in form.
Simeone confirmed in his post-match presser that the early Barrios goal was no accident — Atleti had identified and gameplanend a specific defensive vulnerability in United. Baena was the standout performer on the night, earning player of the match.
Koke missed Tuesday's session due to the death of his mother and worked separately in the gym on Thursday. Cardoso was also absent from the group session, reported as unwell. Both are doubts for Espanyol away.
The Cholo addressed the media ahead of Saturday's LaLiga matchday 9 trip to Espanyol — a fixture where Pubill returns to his former club as a World Cup winner after being rejected by them as a youth player for being too small.
Against United, the likes of Pubill, Jonathan David, Lookman, and Hjulmand were all on the bench. Healthy competition across every line is forcing Simeone to make genuine calls each matchday — a luxury problem, but a real one.
Atlético will not allocate any tickets to Deportivo de La Coruña fans for the Metropolitano fixture. Depor will apply the same measure for the return leg at Riazor.
Former top referee Antonio Mateu Lahoz publicly criticized the disallowed Cardoso goal — ruled out for a Llorente handball — calling it 'madness and a violation of the rulebook.' The VAR situation with Atleti is becoming a recurring talking point.