With Marcos Llorente already absent, and with Thomas Lemar now almost certainly ruled out for the rest of the season, Diego Simeone has something of a shortage of options in midfield in his Atletico Madrid side.
Koke and Rodrigo De Paul are nailed-on starters for Los Colchoneros, meaning that the final midfield spot is between the youngster Pablo Barrios and his senior compatriot Saul Niguez.
Ahead of Sunday’s match against Osasuna, Marca believe that it will be Barrios to be given the nod for Atletico in the match against Los Rojillos at the Civitas Metropolitano.
Barrios is very highly rated at Atletico, although he has not started a match since the Madrid derby back in February. However, if he impresses against Osasuna, there is a chance that he could start the other three matches, as Diego Simeone’s side aim for second place in the LaLiga table.
It will be a difficult match for Barrios to come into, as Osasuna harbour hopes of securing the Europa Conference League spot in LaLiga. However, given his raw ability, he has the chance to stamp his mark at Atletico Madrid.
