Ahead of one of the biggest Madrid derbies in their history, Atletico lost one that shouldn’t even matter.
Diego Simeone’s side were beaten 2-1 by city minnows Getafe, ahead of hosting fierce rivals Real Madrid and then Barcelona in the space of four days.
Atleti gifted three points to a side who were in a relegation battle, and it came out of nowhere having been 1-0 up with two minutes left to play of the 90.
Former Crystal Palace striker Alexander Sorloth had scored the opener from the penalty spot in the 75th minute, but a late double from Uruguayan midfielder Mauro Arambarri risks derailing Atleti’s season.
This coming week will be huge, and they’ll likely have to do it without a number of their best players.
The match saw former Tottenham loanee Clement Lenglet pull out before kick-off through injury, and then integral Argentine World Cup winner Rodrigo De Paul had to be replaced at half time and looked in trouble.
Angel Correa will also be missing for the Barca clash on Sunday, having seen a yellow upgraded to a red for a wild high kick on Djene Dakonam just before the equaliser.
He also could risk further punishment with referee Guillermo Cuadra Fernandez’s report reading: “After showing him the red card, the player addressed me in the following terms: ‘Son of a b****, coward. Your mother’s ****,’” as per AS.
Captain Koke is also out injured, piling on the problems for Atleti.
This season was shaping up to be a special one, with Antoine Griezmann at his best and new striker signing from Manchester City, Julian Alvarez, playing out of his skin.
LaLiga has also been low on quality, with Atleti, Real and Barca trading top spot, and no one running away with it.
Simeone’s men had the chance to face Barcelona two points clear at the summit as their opponents saw a Saturday match against Osasuna postponed.
Premier SportsCorrea’s high boot saw him sent off[/caption]
Premier SportsAnd he could be out even longer for a blast at the referee[/caption]
Now they’ll face them a point behind with a game more played, while Real could leapfrog their way to become Madrid’s top club.
That wouldn’t exactly be a confidence booster, with Atleti hosting Real 2-1 down from the first leg of their Champions League last 16 tie.
Real have 15 European Cups to Atleti’s zero, and have twice beaten them in painful final defeats this century (2014 and 2016).
Asked how he’s now feeling ahead of a crunch week, Simeone said: “The players are not good because we did not play a good match.
“We have to try to be strong, together, with the hope of improving our game and we cannot think about anything else.”
When questioned about the late collapse, he added: “We didn’t play a good game, we had chances at the end, the penalty gave us a chance to take the lead, but then Angel was sent off, it could be a sending off, it could be, it could not be…
“The referee decided to send off Correa. From then on they were superior, they found the two goals, two very similar goals. A deserved defeat. From then on we start to think about what comes next.”
