Atlético de Madrid trial: Julián Álvarez starts

Atlético de Madrid

The first hints of the rojiblanco XI

The main novelty of the session came from the tests carried out by Simeone. The coach worked with a side made up of Oblak; Hancko, Cuti Romero, Marc Pubill, Marcos Llorente; Lookman, Hjulmand, Pablo Barrios, Giuliano Simeone; Álex Baena and Julián Álvarez.

Although there are still training sessions to go before the match, this trial provides an initial look at the plans of the Atlético de Madrid coach. Up front, Julián Álvarez and Álex Baena would form the most advanced pairing, with Lookman and Giuliano Simeone operating out wide.

The central area would be left to Hjulmand and Pablo Barrios, while Oblak would continue in goal. Hancko, Cuti Romero and Marc Pubill would make up the defensive line tested this Monday, with Marcos Llorente completing the shape used by the coaching staff.

The only absence of the day has once again been Alexander Sorloth. The Norwegian striker has been sidelined for three weeks with a muscle injury and continues his recovery. His involvement against Liverpool looks complicated, pending how he progresses over the coming days.

Atlético will continue working ahead of its demanding Wednesday fixture, with Simeone still having room to introduce changes. For now, Sorloth remains the only absence from training as the coach fine-tunes his team.