Alvarez ruled out for Atletico's trip to Valencia
Diego Simeone has confirmed Julian Alvarez will miss Atletico Madrid's trip to Valencia this weekend and insisted his side is not in a position to rest players for the LaLiga clash.
Atleti drew 1-1 with Arsenal in the UEFA Champions League semi-finals first leg in midweek, and Alvarez scored before suffering an injury in the match, with the second leg taking place at Emirates Stadium next Wednesday (AEST).
Atleti is fourth in LaLiga, five points behind Villarreal, and will also be without Alexander Sortloth, Giuliano Simeone, Pablo Barrios and Jose Maria Gimenez.
Simeone believes Atleti could not rest players if it wanted to against Valencia, because of its injury problems.
"It's clear that, regardless of if there is a match on Tuesday [Wednesday AEST], Julian Alvarez probably wouldn't have been ready for Saturday [Sunday]," Simeone said.
"Sorloth wouldn't have been ready for Saturday [Sunday AEST], Giuliano wouldn't have been ready for Saturday [Sunday AEST], Barrios wouldn't have been ready for Saturday [Sunday AEST], Gimenez wouldn't have been ready for Saturday [Sunday AEST], so I don't think I'm forgetting anyone else.
"It's more than clear that we’re going to field the players who are in the best shape to compete.
"We're thinking about [Sunday's AEST] match, about how important it is to try to catch up to Villarreal, which is ahead of us.
"And obviously, to play a crucial match against a team that needs points, one that will be playing under the pressure of their fans and with the intensity that Valencia has shown since their coach arrived.
"I can't think about any other match than that."
Valencia is 12th in LaLiga, five points clear of the relegation zone with five games left to play.
It picked up a crucial 2-1 win over Girona last time out, ending a three-game winless run in the league.
