Medical tests carried out on Monday ruled the Argentine winger out of the La Liga clash against Real Sociedad on January 4 and placed his participation in the Supercopa semi-final against Real Madrid on January 8 firmly in question.

he club stated that "the evolution of the injury will determine his return," without specifying a recovery timeline.

Given the nature of the injury, Nico is expected to be sidelined for at least two to three weeks, making his involvement in the tournament in Saudi Arabia highly uncertain.

Only two and a half weeks will separate the injury sustained against Girona from the Super Cup semi-final, a tight turnaround for a muscle issue of this type.

The winger is therefore more likely to return for Atletico's La Liga fixture against Alaves on January 17 or 18, provided his recovery progresses without complications.

Nico has been a regular under Diego Simeone this season. On loan from Juventus with a purchase option, he has featured in 21 matches across all competitions, starting 15 of them.

Atletico will also be without Clement Lenglet for the Real Sociedad match and the Super Cupafter the French defender suffered a high-grade medial collateral ligament sprain in his right knee.

There is better news, however, with Alex Baena and Jose Maria Gimenez both nearing a return after muscle injuries that have kept them out for the past five games.

Nico González

Achievements