The left-back is likely to miss his side’s next couple of La Liga games after suffering a hamstring strain against Real Valladolid
Atletico Madrid defender Filipe Luis looks set to be out of action for around three weeks after the club confirmed he has suffered a hamstring strain.
The Brazilian left-back was forced off an hour into Atletico’s dramatic 3-2 win at Real Valladolid on Saturday.
And the club announced on Monday following an MRI scan that the 33-year-old sustained a grade one strain.
Article continues below
Editors' Picks
Sarri vindicated for dropping Kepa as Chelsea & Pedro impress in Spurs win Magnificent Mane takes centre stage as league leaders Liverpool put on a five-star show Lukaku sends reminder that his Man Utd career is far from over Man City monitoring Barcelona & Chelsea target Jovic
Although Atletico have not set a specific return date, a rest period of three weeks is usually recommended after such injuries.
As such, Luis will most likely miss Saturday’s visit of Espanyol and the trip to second-placed Sevilla on January 6, although he could be in contention to return against Girona in the Copa del Rey three days later.
Luis has played in 13 of Atletico’s 16 La Liga games this term, registering two goals and one assist.
His injury comes as yet another blow for manager Diego Simeone, with a number of Atletico’s players picking up knocks in recent weeks.
Diego Costa is currently unavailable for selection, as are defenders Jose Maria Gimenez and Lucas Hernandez. The latter would have been seen as the ideal replacement for Luis in the left-back spot.
The upcoming winter break softens the blow of the club’s injury issues, with this weekend’s clash with Espanyol Los Rojiblancos’ last game of 2018.
2019 promises to be an exciting year for Atletico, after they were drawn against Serie A leaders Juventus in the last 16 of the Champions League on Monday.
Simeone’s side currently find themselves third in the league table and three points adrift of leaders Barcelona. City rivals Real Madrid remain in fourth place after their win over Rayo Vallecano on Saturday.