Morata Out for Three Weeks Due to a Knee Sprain
Álvaro Morata, the striker for Atlético Madrid, has a "bone bruise and a sprain of the medial collateral ligament in the right knee," as determined by Monday's medical tests, ruling out a more serious injury to that joint after a collision in the match against Sevilla.
Following the morning's MRI scan, the medical report from the Madrid-based club informs about this ailment (the initial diagnosis last night was a "trauma with knee torsion"), without specifying the severity and states that it "remains pending evolution," although these types of injuries typically require around three weeks of recovery.
If that timeframe is met, which could potentially be reduced to two weeks, it means he will miss at least the next five matches for his team: in La Liga against Las Palmas, Almería, and Betis; in the Champions League in the first leg match of the round of 16 against Inter; and in the Copa del Rey in the second leg of the semifinals against Athletic Club, although in the latter case, a good recovery could potentially allow him to participate in the match.
This Sunday, towards the end of the first half of the match against Sevilla at the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán stadium, Morata injured his right knee in a collision for the ball with Boubakary Soumaré, received treatment on the field, exited the field on his own, and clearly displayed signs of pain and concern when the club's doctor, Óscar Celada, tested his joint with several movements on the bench.
Morata is the starting striker alongside Antoine Griezmann in Diego Simeone's typical lineup, besides being the top scorer for Atlético this season, with 19 goals.
The attacker joins César Azpilicueta and Thomas Lemar on the injury list against Las Palmas, while the coach welcomes back Saúl Ñíguez, who was suspended against Sevilla, and presumably José María Giménez, who is in the final stages of recovery from a muscular injury that has kept him out of the four most recent matches.
