The squads of La Liga clubs are sometimes severely thinned out before matches resume. Now the champion has also been hit.
Atletico Madrid’s Antoine Griezmann, Koke, Joao Felix and Hector Herrera tested positive on Thursday – and coach Diego Simeone also got caught. These are the first cases at the Rojiblancos in December.
Those affected will be absent on Sunday in the city derby against Rayo Vallecano, the opponent currently has ten professionals in self-isolation because of Corona. From a purely sporting point of view, there is a lot at stake, as Rayo, currently fourth in the table, has made positive headlines and is preparing to enter one of the European Cup competitions. Atleti are currently in fifth place, one point behind their local rivals, after a season that has been mixed at best.
Real: Courtois & Co. affected
In addition to Atletico, other first division clubs in Spain have also been hit, in some cases severely, by Corona infections. Record champions and league leaders Real Madrid reported that goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois as well as Vinicius Junior, Fede Valverde and Eduardo Camavinga tested positive on Wednesday and will therefore miss at least Sunday’s league match at Getafe FC. David Alaba, meanwhile, is back in training.
At FC Barcelona, Philippe Coutinho, Sergino Dest and Ez Abde tested positive, extending the list of missing players ahead of Sunday’s game in Mallorca to ten names. Among them are Jordi Alba, Ousmane Dembelé, Gavi and Dani Alves.
More than 100 first division professionals tested positive
According to an enumeration by “AS”, more than 100 first division professionals and also more than 100 second division players have already tested positive after returning from their Christmas holidays. According to the league, match cancellations are not being considered so far, and the clubs could use players from the B teams and junior players.
