Image of Simeone in a montage with the Girona shield

Simeone surprises with the list of players called up for Girona: two unexpected absences

The club from Madrid will play its second league match against Girona this Sunday in search of its first three points.

Atlético de Madrid have a very important match against Girona ahead of them. The Cívitas Metropolitano will be the stage for one of the big matches of the day between the third and fourth placed teams of last season. Both Diego Pablo Simeone 's boys and Míchel 's boys urgently need to add three points to forget the setbacks of the first day where they did not go beyond a draw.

The Colchoneros lost their first points of the season against Villarreal and the Catalans against Betis . Therefore, a high-tension match is expected between two clubs that are competing to be favourites to occupy the top positions in the table. And to face the match, the two experienced coaches have already announced the list of players called up and, in the case of Simeone , there are several surprises to highlight.

A bearded man with curly hair speaks at a press conference, against a background of sponsor logos.
Simeone clarifies the list of players called up for Girona | Atlético de Madrid

And despite the fact that Robin Le Normand, Alexander Sorloth, Julian Alvarez and Conor Gallagher are all leaving , along with the imminent arrivals of two more players, there are still several departures to be made. Players such as Mario Hermoso, Stefan Savic, Saúl Ñíguez and Álvaro Morata , among others, have already left at the beginning of the transfer market. However, there are still some players in the squad who must define their future in the next few days before the transfer market ends, and who do not seem to be in Simeone's plans.

The main absences of the colchoneros

Atlético de Madrid 's squad list of _ players includes two notable absences from the first team. One is Thomas Lemar, who was also absent from the league opener and the last pre-season match. There were certain rumours that he had suffered a muscle injury, but the club has not given any information on this.

A man lifting weights with a barbell in a gym, wearing an Atlético de Madrid tank top.
Lemar could leave Atlético in the next few days | Atlético de Madrid

Meanwhile, several journalists are saying that the club from Madrid are urgently looking for a way out for him, as he would not be part of the Argentine's plans. Something that is surprising, because despite the great competition in the centre of the field, the Frenchman had always been Diego Pablo Simeone's favourite. However, after the complicated injury he suffered last season, which kept him off the pitch for almost the entire season, it seems that Cholo has given up completely.

Arthur Vermeeren will not be there either, and his absence has taken many people by surprise. The Belgian, due to his youth and lack of experience in elite football, seems to be having a very difficult adaptation in Spain . This, together with the fact that there are too many players occupying his position in the squad, has led the club to look for him on loan.

In fact, Fabrizio Romano and Marca have commented that R B Leipzig would be very interested in the loan of Arthur Vermeeren . The midfielder is very much in line with the German club, which stands out for strengthening itself with young players and turning them into great footballers. Thus, it seems that Diego Pablo Simeone 's call-ups serve to find out which footballers will not be at his disposal this season.