Atlético Madrid are desperate to put an end to four successive defeats in 2009 as they travel to Andalucia to face an Almería side who are struggling themselves.
There’s good news, however, for Atleti as they recover talismanic forward, Sergio Agüero for the clash. The bad news, though is that leftback, Mariano Pernía, and captain, Maxi Rodríguez, will both be omitted.
El Kun has completely shrugged off the muscle cramps he picked up during Wednesday’s Copa del Rey loss to Barcelona. He resumed normal training yesterday morning and his coach, Javier Aguirre has all but confirmed that the Argentine will be fit for Sunday’s game.
Pernía, on the other hand, is still nursing a serious blow to his left ankle while Maxi has failed to recover from the upper thigh muscle injury which prevented him from lining up against Barça in midweek. Both will join Maniche on the absentee list as the Portuguese serves a suspension.
Defenders John Heitinga and Giorgios Seitaridis will also return to the squad.
KS Leong, Goal.com
