Antoine Griezmann poised for Atletico Madrid return as ankle problems left in the dust | OneFootball

The international break came at a good time for Antoine Griezmann. The 32-year-old was only half-fit when he returned to action for Atletico Madrid against Inter Milan two weeks ago, and that meant he could only play 45 minutes against Barcelona in the final match before the interval.

He was excused from France duty because his ankle was in a poor state, but the last 10 days have been good for Griezmann, and on Wednesday, he returned to group training with the rest of his Atleti teammates, as per Marca.

All being well, Griezmann will be at the disposal of Diego Simeone for Monday’s clash with Villarreal at the Ceramica. He will needed too, as the results from MD29 meant that Atleti dropped out of the Champions League places, with Athletic Club having moved into fourth instead.

Griezmann will be crucial for Atletico Madrid in the run-in, and after the Villarreal match, he will get the chance to rest his ankle further before Los Rojiblancos kick off their Champions League quarter-final tie with Borussia Dortmund, with the first leg coming nine days after the fixture in Vila-Real.