How will Atlético Madrid line up for midweek LALIGA clash with Osasuna?

**Team news**

Where to begin? Well, **Pablo Barrios** and **Nico González** continue to be sidelined, and along with **Johnny Cardoso**, who recently joined them, more have been added to the list of unavailable players. **José María Giménez** might have played his last minutes for the club at home to Celta Vigo at the weekend — his lengthy Atleti career fittingly ending with him hobbling off the field, boot in hand and an injured ankle. Another casualty from the Celta match was **Nahuel Molina** who appears to have injured his left thigh. He will be doing all he can to continue his quad-annual quest to transfigure into the Argentine Cafú. Fellow Albiceleste superstar **Julián Alvarez** will still be nursing his ankle injury that he picked up against Arsenal, while he no doubt sits at home with his lovely partner, newborn son and dog wondering if there’s a club out there able to afford his release clause and salary. Lastly on the no-go register, **Álex Baena** has picked up too many yellow cards (and poor Into the Calderón ratings), so he will also be staying put for this one. As for those who actually *will* play, who bloody knows? Atleti have a lamentable away record (the seventh-best in the league) and with the majority of the squad begging for time off to prepare for the World Cup, we could see a team of children put out on Tuesday night. One assumes **Jan Oblak** will start in goal, but the defence in front of him is anyone’s guess. It could contain **Javi Boñar** given Molina’s absence and the lack of midfield options, which Llorente will likely cover. **Giuliano Simeone** is a doubt, which may see room for **Miguel** **Cubo** following his promising minutes in recent weeks. While there is no reason for the likes of **Ademola Lookman** and **Alexander Sørloth** *not* to start, the temptation to give them a rest and let academy prospects such as **Iker Luque** have another go may sit with Simeone. That being said, Atlético Madrileño manager Fernando Torres will want all of his boys to be fit and available for their last two matches of the season with a chance of automatic promotion to the second division still a reality. The irony of course is that if it wasn’t for the youth team players getting their opportunity in the last weeks, they might be sat in the driving seat to avoid having to go through the play-offs. **Predicted lineup** Oblak; Boñar, Le Normand, Lenglet, Ruggeri; Cubo, Llorente, Koke, Lookman; Griezmann, Sørloth.