Simeone provided an update on Ademola Lookman and Jan Oblak’s statuses ahead of the Champions League semifinal with Arsenal. The calendar shows Atletico Madrid have a La Liga match against Athletic on Saturday. But fans are already thinking about next Wednesday’s Champions League semifinal against Arsenal. Diego Simeone gave updates on Ademola Lookman and Jan Oblak ahead of that challenge.
Simeone was not ready to confirm whether the forward will be available, saying in the press conference: “Lookman is still not ready for tomorrow’s match. It was good that we substituted him in the Copa del Rey final.”
Lookman left the final against Real Sociedad at halftime despite scoring the temporary 1-1 equalizer in a match they lost on penalties. Atletico Madrid appear ready to repeat the cautious approach they used against Elche, when he did not play a single minute.
Oblak may not play in the semifinal
Atletico Madrid’s most important challenge this season has been the Champions League. From early on, La Liga seemed out of reach because of how far they fell behind Real Madrid and Barcelona. That made Oblak’s injury a major blow to their confidence.
Lookman left the Copa del Rey final injured (Eric Alonso/Getty Images)
Unlike what some may have expected from the goalkeeper’s absence, Juan Musso stepped up in a big way and became an important part of their recent run. That has raised some doubts about who will start in goal, even with the return of one of the team’s leaders.
Simeone said when asked about Oblak being the best goalkeeper in the club’s history: “You defined him perfectly in what he represents to us. He played in Elche in his first match and tomorrow he is going to play again. We will see how he responds and continue as always.”
Simeone is not thinking about Arsenal
Simeone made it clear that he is focused only on the next match. There are still a few days left before the tough Arsenal test in Madrid. The manager made that clear when he answered “zero” to a question asking him, on a scale of 0 to 100, how much he is thinking about the English side.