Simeone tests Koke and Kang-in Lee for Barcelona visit

Atlético de Madrid

Diego Pablo Simeone is beginning to drop clues ahead of Atletico Madrid's match against Barcelona at the Metropolitano. In the penultimate session of the week, the Argentine coach tested a starting XI with two changes compared with the side that began in the Champions League against Bayern Munich, according to information published by Mundo Deportivo.

The new faces would be Koke Resurreccion in midfield and Kang-in Lee in the attacking area. In that trial, the players to miss out would be Robin Le Normand and Alexander Sorloth, who would drop out of the starting team Simeone tested.

The tweak would also have consequences for the defensive structure. Marcos Llorente would move back to right-back, while Marc Pubill would shift into the centre of defence alongside David Hancko. Alejandro Grimaldo would remain at left-back, with Jan Oblak in goal.

In midfield, the trial placed Pablo Barrios alongside Koke, leaving Morten Hjulmand and Johnny Cardoso out of the starting line-up, with both available. Cardoso, moreover, trained normally again. Further forward, Giuliano Simeone and Álex Baena would occupy the flanks, with Kang-in Lee given licence to roam close to Julián Álvarez.

The only confirmed absentee from the session remains Cristian Romero. With one final session still to come and official confirmation pending, the XI tested by Simeone was: Oblak; Marcos Llorente, Marc Pubill, David Hancko, Alejandro Grimaldo; Giuliano Simeone, Pablo Barrios, Koke, Álex Baena; Kang-in Lee and Julián Álvarez.

Fantasy read

From a Fantasy perspective, the trial strengthens Koke and Kang-in Lee's chances of starting, while urging caution over Le Normand and Sorloth for this matchday. Marcos Llorente also becomes more interesting if his return to right-back is confirmed, although this is still only a trial and not an official line-up.