Pablo Barrios Ruled Out for Atlético vs Real Sociedad

He is already ruled out of Sunday's trip to Real Sociedad, and the club have declined to put a firm timeline on his return.

«Pablo Barrios no estará disponible para San Sebastián. El centrocampista acabó con molestias el encuentro ante el Liverpool y, tras las pruebas realizadas por los servicios médicos del club, se ha confirmado que sufre una lesión miofascial de bajo grado en la pierna derecha».

He has started three of Atlético's four LaLiga fixtures, adding a fourth off the bench, for 294 minutes and an assist, as the side sit on seven points from two wins, a draw and a defeat. Against Liverpool he lasted 77 minutes before the discomfort that has now been diagnosed forced him off.

The concern for Simeone is not San Sebastián but 20 September, when Atlético host Real Madrid at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano. Real Madrid play Rayo Vallecano and Elche before that derby, and reports in Spain describe Osasuna, the fixture before Real Madrid, as also doubtful for Barrios.

Atlético's statement drew a line between what has been confirmed and what has not: the diagnosis and the absence from Real Sociedad are certain, the recovery time is not, and by all accounts the club are treating the derby as no more than a possibility for now.