The Champions League is only days away and Anfield is already buzzing, but in Spain the mood is different, the mood is heavy with doubt and with fear. Atletico Madrid, Liverpool’s opening opponents, are walking into this match with shadows hanging over their squad. Injuries, knocks, and worries have clouded Diego Simeone’s mind just four days before his team faces the challenge of Anfield.
On Saturday evening Atletico met Villarreal in La Liga, and instead of walking away with confidence, they walked away with more questions than answers. What should have been a routine preparation game before the Champions League turned into a nightmare of injury concerns. Atletico finished the match with bandages, limps, and bruises instead of clear confidence. Liverpool supporters who watched the updates smiled secretly, because what was happening in Spain might just give their club the advantage on Wednesday night.
The name that made the biggest noise was Julián Álvarez. The Argentine forward, who came from Manchester City to Atletico in a transfer that shocked many, has been on fire since joining. His energy, his pressing, his sharp finishing have made him a new favourite under Simeone. Against Villarreal he looked bright, moving with confidence, linking with teammates, creating problems. But then came the moment that silenced everything. Towards the end of the first half he clashed with a Villarreal player and looked uncomfortable. He managed to finish the half, but there was something wrong, something not normal in his movement. When the second half began, he did not come out. He had been replaced by Alexander Sørloth. For Simeone, this was not a tactical switch, this was a medical precaution. The staff had seen enough, they did not want to risk losing him completely, and so they wrapped him in cotton wool.
The word coming from Spain is that his substitution was more safety than disaster. Atletico believe they can nurse him carefully in the days leading up to Wednesday. The plan is clear: protect Álvarez, prepare him quietly, and unleash him against Liverpool if possible. But the risk is there. Anfield is not a stadium for half-fit players. The pace, the noise, the pressing, it drains energy quickly. If Álvarez goes in with discomfort, Liverpool will smell blood. For now, he remains the biggest question of the Atletico squad, the star signing they need desperately, the one Simeone is trying to shield until the last possible second.
But Álvarez was not the only name on the injury list. Robin Le Normand, the tough centre-back, went down after a heavy fall. He left the pitch holding his back, pain written across his face. In a team like Atletico, where defence is the foundation, losing a central defender with experience and calmness is a massive concern. Back pain is tricky, it does not disappear overnight, and the sight of him being helped off worried fans and coaching staff alike. Without him, Simeone may be forced to reshuffle his defensive unit, and against Liverpool’s attacking weapons, that could be dangerous.
Then there was Nico González. His issue was not as dramatic, but it was still concerning. He went down with cramps, and though cramps are often minor, they are also signs of fatigue, of tired muscles, of a body under pressure. With games coming thick and fast, Simeone knows he cannot afford to overuse his young midfielder. Nico is one of those players who brings energy, who brings fight in the middle of the pitch, and against Liverpool’s midfield, that fight will be essential.
But the biggest blow, the one that shocked Atletico supporters the most, was Dávid Hancko. The Slovakian defender lasted just seven minutes on the field before he collapsed into pain. It was a strong challenge that did the damage, and immediately it was clear his ankle was in trouble. He tried to continue, but within moments he was off, limping, his face telling the story. Ankle injuries are never simple, and with only days before the Liverpool game, it looks like Simeone may lose him completely. For a team already worried about Le Normand, this adds another deep problem.
After the match Simeone tried to calm the storm. He spoke to reporters, his voice steady but his eyes revealing the weight of worry. “We haven’t spoken with the doctor yet,” he said, “but in general they are knocks and discomforts. Hancko rolled his ankle. Tomorrow we’ll see.” Those words were meant to reassure, but they also revealed uncertainty. He did not know the full extent, he could not promise anything, and deep down he knew that the clock was ticking fast.
This is the nightmare of managers in September. The Champions League comes early, and the domestic leagues do not give mercy. Matches pile up, players pick up injuries, and coaches are forced to balance between risk and safety. For Simeone, who has built his Atletico team on discipline, unity, and physical fight, losing key men at the same time is brutal. Facing Liverpool at full strength is already a mountain, facing them with half-fit players or missing stars is almost impossible.
Liverpool themselves are not without problems. In England the conversation has been about Alexander Isak, about Alexis Mac Allister, about Curtis Jones. The Reds have their own injuries to think about, but suddenly their troubles seem lighter compared to Atletico’s. What looked like a balanced fight is starting to tilt. Slot may have decisions to make, but Simeone is staring at a possible crisis.
The Spanish press have not hidden their worry. Marca wrote that Atletico were sweating heavily after the Villarreal clash. Four injury concerns in one evening, just days before the Champions League, is no small matter. Supporters are debating online, some calling for hope, others already fearing a long night in Liverpool. The Champions League is cruel in this way. It does not wait for your players to heal, it does not slow down for your recovery. It arrives, it demands, and if you are not ready, it punishes.
For Julián Álvarez this is a personal battle too. He left Manchester City to find more space, more love, more responsibility. At Atletico he has been shining, proving himself as more than just Haaland’s understudy. The game against Liverpool at Anfield would have been the perfect stage, the perfect chance to show the Premier League what they lost. Now that stage is under threat, and only his body will decide whether he gets to stand on it.
For Le Normand and Hancko, the challenge is even tougher. Defenders live on strength, on movement, on stability. A bad back or a bad ankle makes everything uncertain. And against Salah, Núñez, Díaz, and maybe even Isak, uncertainty is deadly. Atletico cannot afford defenders who are second-guessing their bodies, they need warriors ready to suffer, ready to fight. If those men are missing, Simeone must turn to backups, and backups do not always carry the same authority.
For Nico González it is about recovery. His cramps might fade, his body might respond, but the mental challenge of playing at Anfield is another level. Young players often discover the truth about European football under the lights of big stadiums. Simeone may gamble with him, but it is still a risk.
As Wednesday approaches, Atletico will monitor every training session, every stretch, every report from the medical staff. Simeone is not a man who complains publicly, he thrives on adversity, but even he must be privately frustrated. The thought of facing Liverpool without full strength is haunting, but this is football. Sometimes you prepare for tactics, and instead you are forced to prepare for survival.
Liverpool supporters will watch all of this news with interest. They will whisper among themselves, they will cheer quietly, but they will also remember one truth: Atletico under Simeone are never dead. Even with half a squad missing, he finds ways to build walls, to frustrate, to counterattack. Liverpool cannot allow themselves to relax. Injuries may weaken Atletico, but they will not destroy them. Only Liverpool’s own hunger and discipline can do that.
Still, there is no denying the picture. Four names on the worry list, four stories of pain and hope. Álvarez, Le Normand, Nico, Hancko. Each one important, each one fighting the clock. And across the continent, Liverpool wait, Anfield waits, the anthem of the Champions League waits.
In football, timing is everything. Right now the timing feels cruel for Atletico Madrid. But Simeone’s men are known for surviving storms, for fighting when everyone thinks they are finished. On Wednesday night, with or without those injured names, they will arrive in Liverpool ready to battle. Whether that battle will be enough is another question entirely.
