Atlético Madrid Faces Setback as Julián Álvarez Misses San Sebastián Trip

Atlético Madrid’s trip to San Sebastián has been hit by a brutal late twist. Julián Álvarez, the man increasingly carrying their attacking hopes, never even made it onto the plane.

The Argentine forward suffered a muscle problem in training on the eve of the game and was pulled from the squad at the last moment, as first reported by Marca. For Diego Simeone, already trying to jolt a faltering side back into life, it is the worst possible news.

“Julián is not traveling to San Sebastián due to muscle strain, which forced him to withdraw from yesterday's training session,” the club confirmed on social media. “After the relevant tests, the medical staff have ruled out his participation in today's match.”

No ambiguity. No late fitness test. Just a straight ruling out of one of Atlético’s key figures.

The timing could hardly be more exasperating for Álvarez. Only days ago he had finally reclaimed a starting spot, going the full 90 minutes against Liverpool at Anfield on Wednesday. That performance looked like a turning point, the moment he fully cemented his place as an undisputed starter in Simeone’s front line.

Then the muscle issue arrived in training and stopped that momentum cold.

Medical staff moved quickly once the problem appeared, opting for caution to avoid any risk of a more serious, long-term injury. The decision keeps Álvarez out of the clash at Anoeta, where Atlético badly need his cutting edge but will now have to improvise without it.

His absence rips a sizeable hole in the final third for a team already struggling to finish chances. After featuring heavily in the intense contest at Anfield, his sudden removal from the matchday picture leaves Simeone without his most reliable reference point in attack.

And the context could hardly be more tense.

Atlético travel to face Real Sociedad on the back of consecutive defeats, beaten by Athletic Club at San Mamés in La Liga and by Liverpool in Europe. The early-season table is already starting to take shape, and any further slip risks turning a wobble into a full-blown crisis.

They need three points in San Sebastián to stay locked into the battle near the top. They must do it without their main striker, with confidence shaken and margins thin.

For Simeone, this is a tactical test as much as a mental one. He has to reshuffle his forward line, find goals from elsewhere, and coax a collective response from a squad suddenly stripped of its sharpest weapon.

Ending a two-game losing streak at Anoeta was always going to demand a big performance. Now, without Julián Álvarez, it may take something even more: a statement that this Atlético side can still bite when their talisman is watching from home.