Atletico Madrid lose Cristian Romero for Barcelona showdown and Argentina duty

Atletico Madrid will be without Cristian Romero for Sunday’s La Liga meeting with Barcelona after the Argentina defender was ruled out with a muscle injury.

The problem will also keep Romero out of Argentina’s upcoming international fixtures, dealing Diego Simeone a significant defensive blow before a match that could see Atletico move to the top of the Spanish league standings.

Atletico would finish the current stage as leaders if they overcome Hansi Flick’s Barcelona on Sunday, 8 November 2026. However, they must now prepare for the game without one of the key players in Simeone’s defence.

Romero missed Atletico’s Champions League match against Bayern Munich on Tuesday and Saturday’s game against Levante because of the injury. He had trained during the week and was expected to start against the Valencia-based side, but the setback forced him out of Simeone’s plans.

According to Marca, the 28-year-old will also miss Argentina’s friendly matches against Uruguay and Costa Rica. Those games are scheduled for 13 and 17 November respectively.

Romero’s absence was confirmed only hours after Barcelona announced that Rodri would also miss the highly anticipated La Liga fixture. Rodri, who previously played for Atletico, suffered an injury during Barcelona’s match against Aston Villa on Tuesday.

Romero’s growing influence at Atletico

The loss of Romero is particularly significant because of the influence he has established since joining Atletico. Although he has made only eight appearances for the club six in La Liga and two in the Champions League he has quickly become one of the leaders of the team’s new project.

The Argentina international had been a long-standing target for Atletico’s coaching staff. Since arriving at the Metropolitano, he has underlined his importance to the side, with that value made especially clear during his absence against Bayern Munich.

The latest injury is related to a muscle problem Romero suffered in the match against Espanyol. He asked to be substituted during that game, and Marca subsequently reported that he would require about 10 days to recover.

Romero returned to action after that period but has now suffered a further setback, ruling him out of Atletico’s meeting with Barcelona and Argentina’s two fixtures during the next international break.