Julián Alvarez Hasn’t Trained All Week and The Madrid Derby Is Not Ready For It

Atlético Madrid’s coaching staff is seriously sweating right now because their main man, Julián Alvarez, is a major doubt for the massive Madrid Derby showdown this Sunday. The Argentinian frontman is still battling a nagging muscular problem, and his status for the arch-rival clash against Real Madrid is hanging by a thread.

Alvarez Sidelined Since Last Weekend

Look, this isn’t some minor knock. Alvarez, all of 26 years old, has been completely sidelined from Atlético’s last two competitive outings. He was forced to sit out their back-to-back games against Real Sociedad and Osasuna. Here’s the kicker: Atlético won both of those matches, and not just won, they racked up dominant victories. You’d think that’d ease the pressure a bit, right? Maybe, but this is the Derby, and you want your best players out there.

The whole problem started last weekend. During a training session, Alvarez pulled up suddenly with a muscular issue. And get this: the word from the Spanish media, specifically Mundo Deportivo, is that as of Thursday, he’s simply not recovered. The report states, and I’m quoting here, that “As part of his recovery process, he hasn’t trained with the group since last Saturday when he suffered the injury.” That’s a huge red flag when you’re talking about a game just days away.

Derby Day Countdown: Just Two More Chances

This is where it gets real tense. There are only two more training sessions on the books for Atlético Madrid before Sunday’s kick-off at the Metropolitano: one on Friday and another on Saturday. Those are the last chances for the coaching staff to assess Alvarez’s progress and figure out if he can even make it onto the pitch for the biggest game on their calendar.

This isn’t just any game, folks. It’s the Madrid Derby, a brutal, high-stakes battle against none other than Real Madrid, their fiercest rivals. Adding to the pressure, this is Atlético’s final outing before the international break, so you know they want to go into that pause with bragging rights. Can they pull off another dominant performance without their frontman against Real? That’s the million-dollar question heading into the weekend.

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Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.