Atletico's Rodrigo De Paul, Clement Lenglet face fitness test for Real Madrid clash

Though the club's medical staff have confirmed neither player is carrying a serious injury. The pair remain doubtful for the showdown, with their availability likely to go down to the wire.

Starting with Clement Lenglet, the Frenchman was sidelined for Atletico's weekend trip to Getafe after picking up a niggle.

The issue surfaced during the warm-up, forcing Jose Maria Gimenez into last-minute action as Lenglet admitted he wasn't fully fit. "He felt something and couldn't go on," a club source said, reflecting on the decision to pull him.

Rodrigo De Paul's situation unfolded differently. The Argentine started the Getafe match but took a knock in the first half, leaving him limping for several minutes.

Diego Simeone, guided by head medic Oscar Celada and his team, opted to haul him off at half-time, replacing him with Pablo Barrios. "You could see the pain every time he tried to move near the benches," an onlooker noted.

Both players are linchpins for Atletico. They featured in the starting XI during the first leg of this Champions League last-16 tie at the Bernabeu which Los Blancos won 2-1, and they're in line to start again if they can prove their fitness.

Lenglet faces a tussle with Robin Le Normand for a spot in the backline, while De Paul's role as the squad's heartbeat makes him near-irreplaceable.

An X update from the club's official account on March 10 said: "Rodrigo De Paul and Clement Lenglet are under assessment daily. We'll know more closer to kick-off."

For now, it's a waiting game in the Spanish capital.

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