Diego Simeone confirmed that defender Robin Le Normand will get more playing time after missing Atletico Madrid's last two games since returning from a brain injury.
Le Normand, who joined Atletico from Real Sociedad earlier this year, suffered the injury during a 1-1 draw against Real Madrid in September.
The Spaniard made his return to the competition in their Copa del Rey second round win over Cacereno earlier this month but has not featured since.
Simeone's side face Getafe in LaLiga on Sunday and the Atletico boss said Le Normand will have their chance to shine in the coming weeks.
“Robin is an excellent defender and there are teammates who are performing at their best,” Simeone told reporters.
'He is noble and does his best to get the opportunity to help. It's his turn. We need everyone.'
Things we like to see pic.twitter.com/5F5pZcKWub
— Atlético de Madrid (@atletienglish) December 10, 2024
Atletico came into Saturday's match in impressive form, winning their last five LaLiga matches and scoring four or more goals in the last two, which is their longest winning streak in the competition since October 2023 (W6).
This run of results was led by goal-scoring duo Antoine Griezmann and Julian Alvarez, who were both on target in their 3-1 win over Slovan Bratislava in the Champions League on Wednesday.
Griezmann has scored 17 goals (11 goals, six assists) in all competitions this season, while Alvarez has scored 12 since joining from Manchester City earlier this year.
“They have grown through the understanding, they are making progress in the partnership that is generated and when (Angel) Correa or (Alexander) Sorloth come in, the team is nourished,” Simeone said.
“We have four very important attackers and we need the best from each of them.”
Griezmann will be hopeful of continuing his recent scoring streak. He scored twelve goals in 25 games against Getafe in LaLiga and only scored more against Valencia (13 in 25 games) in the league.
36 – @AntoGriezmann has scored 36 goals in 79 games for @atletienglish in the #UCL, all under Diego Pablo Simeone. Only Messi under Pep Guardiola (43) and Salah under Jürgen Klopp (41) have scored more goals in the league under the same manager. Usual. pic.twitter.com/pWSn21g9ou
— OptaJose (@OptaJose) December 11, 2024
Atletico sit third in LaLiga, three points behind leaders Barcelona, but have a game in hand, having won each of their last ten matches in all competitions.
Against this weekend's opponents, Atletico are unbeaten in their last 23 meetings in LaLiga (W19 D4), which is their longest streak against a single opponent in the top flight (also 23 against CD Malaga between 1954 and 1957, W12 D11).
But Simeone, who has won 19 games against Getafe as Atletico coach, insisted this weekend's match would be a difficult test for his side.
“The only way to settle things is to generate work and dedication. Then it's a game and many things can happen,” Simeone said.
“I have always seen Getafe as a very competitive team that has a clear idea of how they want to play.
“With their coach they can compete where they are, and we can't imagine a match without problems, competitive in midfield.”
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