Marcos Llorente doubtful for Atletico Madrid against Real Madrid - report

Atletico Madrid put on a strong performance in their 3-0 La Liga victory over Real Valladolid on Saturday night.

But their coach Diego Simeone may have to contend with the absence of a key player in the upcoming Madrid derby.

According to Relevo, midfielder Marcos Llorente is expected to miss 2-3 weeks of action after suffering a minor tear in his adductor muscle during the match against Valladolid.

This injury will be a significant blow for Atletico Madrid, as Llorente does not have a suitable replacement in the team.

On Thursday, Atletico Madrid will face rivals Real Madrid in the Copa del Rey quarter-finals, one of their two remaining objectives for the season along with finishing in the top four.

Unless Simeone alters his formation, he will have to choose from Geoffrey Kondogbia, Rodrigo de Paul and Saul Niguez, none of whom have been in top form recently.

Llorente is likely to miss league matches against Osasuna, Getafe, and Cadiz. If Atletico Madrid advances to the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey, Llorente may also miss the first leg of the semi-finals on February 8.