One in, two out: Atlético Madrid announce their matchday squad to take on Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League | OneFootball

Atlético Madrid are set to host German champions Bayer Leverkusen at the Estadio Metropolitano this evening as Diego Simeone’s men chase a top-8 spot in the league phase of the Champions League.

Atleti’s pursuit of a top-8 spot is justified; it would mean direct passage to the last 16 of the competition and avoiding a two-legged playoff tie.

This afternoon, the club published their 23-man matchday squad to face the German side this evening, with several changes from the squad which was available for the 1-0 loss against Leganés at the weekend.

The biggest change is the re-introduction of José María Giménez into the squad, following the defender’s month-long spell on the sidelines with injury.

The centre-back is unlikely to see very much action as he returns to fitness, but could possibly make a cameo off the bench during the latter stages of the match.

The two players to drop out of the squad are Ilias Kostis and Adrián Niño, who are both fringe players and would have been unlikely to play regardless.

Alexander Sørloth continues to be absent following his injury in last week’s cup tie against Elche, despite returning to training in recent days, which led many people to believe he could make the bench this evening.

GSFN | Ciaran Currie