Julian Alvarez is expected to be involved for Atletico Madrid against Liverpool on Tuesday - and the president of the Spanish club has provided an update on the forward
Julian Alvarez is yet to start a match for Atletico Madrid so far this season after intense speculation about his future
Julian Alvarez is yet to start a match for Atletico Madrid so far this season after intense speculation about his future(Image: Cesar Ortiz Gonzalez/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
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Atletico Madrid president Enrique Cerezo has delivered an update on Julian Alvarez ahead of Wednesday's Champions League clash against Liverpool.
Alvarez hasn't started a game for Atletico so far this season following a summer transfer saga that saw him heavily linked with a blockbuster switch to Barcelona. The Argentine was thought to be pushing for the move and made it clear he wanted to leave Diego Simeone's side.
Despite him facing backlash from the Atletico fans, the La Liga outfit kept hold of their £81.5million man and he is poised to be in contention to feature for their trip to Anfield.
Now, a matter of hours before the game on Merseyside, Cerezo has spoken out about Alvarez's current condition and believes the drama around a potential transfer is still having an impact on him.
Speaking to Spanish newspaper Sport, Cerezo said: "I see Alvarez in good shape, but the truth is that he is suffering after what happened recently, and that is a cause for concern."
He added: "I think his recovery is going well, and when the coach sees that the time is right, he will return to play. The Julian case is closed."
Julian Alvarez of Atletico de Madrid poses during the official UEFA Champions League 2026/27 portrait session
Julian Alvarez will be available for Atletico Madrid(Image: (Photo by Florencia Tan Jun - UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images))
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Alvarez, who came off the bench in Saturday's 3-0 defeat at Athletic Club, has been included in Atletico's travelling squad for the game against Liverpool and is expected to feature from the bench. This is after Diego Simeone admitted he doesn't see the ex-Manchester City man "starting yet".
When asked about Alvarez in his pre-Liverpool press conference, Simeone said: "Julian is still developing; I don't see him starting yet, but he'll help us as the game progresses."
As for Atletico's other centre forward options, Jonathan David and Alexander Sorloth are both doubtful, meaning Lee Kang-in and Alex Baena could once again start up front.
"Jonathan arrived very recently and couldn't play the other day [against Athletic Club] due to a problem," Simeone said. "[Sorloth's] recovering. He has this injury that's keeping him from playing. We need him; he's important, whether it's for 90, 60 or 20 minutes. He gives us things we don't have in the team right now. Hopefully, he'll be back soon."
Simeone added: "It's very important for the club that the final is at the Metropolitano. For us, we have to work incredibly hard to be able to aspire to that privileged position.
"We're in a growth phase, settling in; there are many new players, the situation with Julian, David's arrival at the end of the transfer window, the national team players who arrived late and nobody cares about them anymore. Little by little, we'll find our rhythm."
Alvarez has just 55 minutes to his name all season but is poised to now kick on and get some more game time under his belt against Liverpool.