Julián Álvarez has been left out of Atlético Madrid’s squad for their Champions League trip to face Liverpool at Anfield on Wednesday.
A club source told ESPN that the star forward was suffering from discomfort, without providing further details.
Álvarez, 25, was substituted at halftime in Atlético’s 2-0 LaLiga win over Villarreal on Saturday — after providing the assist for Pablo Barrios to open the scoring — being replaced by Alexander Sørloth.
USMNT midfielder Johnny Cardoso was also omitted from the squad to face Premier League Champions Liverpool on matchday one, while Atlético are also without two of their high-profile summer signings, Álex Baena and Thiago Almada.
Álvarez has been a key player for Atlético since signing from Manchester City in 2024, scoring 17 LaLiga goals last season, as well as seven in ten Champions League appearances.
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The forward’s double-touch penalty in the round of 16 shootout against rivals Real Madrid saw Atlético eliminated from last season’s competition.
In his absence, coach Diego Simeone has Sørloth, Antoine Griezmann and Giacomo Raspadori as experienced attacking options available at Anfield, as well as wide forward Nico González.
