Atletico Madrid are set to get one of their key defenders back for their Champions League quarter-finals against Barcelona this week. Marc Pubill has been a revelation at the Metropolitano since his move to central defence six months ago, and could come back into the starting line-up.
Pubill has been out of action for the past three weeks after their Champions League first leg against Tottenham Hotspur in the Round of 16, struggling with a hamstring issue. However he is expected to be back to face Barcelona, as per Marca, having trained on Monday and Tuesday. He was joined by Jan Oblak and Rodrigo Mendoza. Oblak could also return in goal.
On the other hand, centre-back Jose Maria Gimenez, one of the alternatives to Pubill, looks set to miss the game. The Uruguayan stalwart has been battling a calf problem, and did not return to group training on Tuesday. Like Johnny Cardoso and Pablo Barrios, he is expected to be out, but the positive news is that all three could be targeting a return for the second leg. Barrios was racing back to be fit for the Copa del Rey final, but it seems he could be ready a little earlier.
One of the question marks over the Atletico Madrid line-up is if Marcos Llorente could start in midfield. Mendoza seems unlikely to be thrown into such a big occasion next to Koke Resurreccion, and without Barrios and Cardoso, Obed Vargas is the only other natural option. As such, Llorente is a probable option for the midfield.
🚨🇺🇸 Johnny Cardoso, along with Barrios and Gimenez, still isn't training with the team.@pascualruizar
— Atletico Universe (@atletiuniverse) April 7, 2026
If that is the case, it likely means one of Nahuel Molina at right-back, or Robin Le Normand in central defence, with Pubill filling in the other spot. Llorente moved into midfield against Barcelona in the second leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final, as Atletico tried to stem the Barcelona flow, to good effect. The flipside is that Marcus Rashford was impressive against Molina and Le Normand on Saturday.
