Atletico Madrid defender Robin Le Normand will be available for Thursday's Copa del Rey tie at CP Cacereno after recovering from a brain injury, Diego Simeone has revealed.
Le Normand suffered a traumatic brain injury in a collision with Real Madrid midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni during a 1-1 derby draw in September, requiring lengthy treatment on the pitch.
The 28-year-old has so far made eight appearances for Atletico since joining from Real Sociedad in the close season, after winning Euro 2024 with Spain.
Los Colchoneros insisted they would be patient with Le Normand's recovery, and having spent over two months on the sidelines, he is now set for a return to action.
"First of all, we were thinking about the health of the player. That's what the club, doctors, and physios focused on as a first step," Simeone told reporters on Wednesday.
"Then comes the player, who started to get in shape and is now ready to start competing from tomorrow. Seeing the enthusiasm that he transmits, he is very happy and eager to help the team."
Atletico are on a seven-match winning streak ahead of Thursday's second-round game, but Simeone is not getting ahead of himself as they look to maintain their fine form.
"We have things to improve, the team grows from a block and I always call that block a team, neither offensive nor defensive," Simeone said.
"From there, we need that consistency, which is the most difficult thing to maintain during the season."
Simeone could shuffle his pack for the game, and though he is excited to see some of his fringe players, he has warned them to expect a difficult challenge.
"We have the motto, 'wearing the Atletico shirt in every game is a great opportunity'. Many would like to be in our place and we need to have this embedded within," Simeone said.
"From there we will make a team to try to hurt a Cacereno team that does very well at home and that will compete as it did against (Real) Madrid (in a 1-0 Copa del Rey loss last January)."
Two-time champs Garvey Maceo through to daCosta Cup final after 4-2 penalty shootout win over Glenmuir
Garvey Maceo High held their nerve best in a tense penalty shootout to defeat Glenmuir High 4-2 and book a return to the ISSA/Wata daCosta Cup final, where they will meet first-time finalists McGrath High.
After playing out a goalless stalemate in regulation time, Garvey Maceo’s goalkeeper Garfield Tomlinson pulled off two saves during the shootout to deny their more fancied opponents in the Clarendon derby at the National Stadium on Wednesday.
Having previously won in 2007 and 2021, Garvey Maceo are now on course to add to their legacy in what promises to be an electrifying final on Saturday at the same venue.
Head coach Lester Hibbert, who was animated on the sidelines ahead of the shootout, praised his team’s determination to pull off what many thought would have been impossible, especially against a marauding Glenmuir outfit.
“First, we have to give God thanks because without him this would not be possible. This is how we train—the vibe, the energy—this is how we encourage the boys to stay disciplined and engage every tackle, and you saw the result. That is passion,” Hibbert said as he attributed their success to advice from customary Head coach Merron Gordon, who sat out the season on vacation.
“Coach Merron Gordon has been an excellent mentor to us; he was on the phone giving us tips, and he even came to a few training sessions. So he is a true tactician and big up to him,” he added.
The semi-final clash was an even contest, with both teams showing attacking intent early on. Garvey Maceo, however, looked the more likely to score during key moments of the match.
In the 28th minute, a well-delivered corner kick from Omarian O’Brian found Rushawn Whyte at the far post, but his header was heroically cleared off the line by Glenmuir’s Brandon Wallace.
Glenmuir, led by their goalkeeper Justin Murray, endured a barrage of pressure as Garvey Maceo forced consecutive corners in the 35th minute but failed to capitalize.
In the second half, Glenmuir's Orane Watson had a golden chance in the 62nd minute, but his rushed effort at the near post sailed harmlessly across the face of goal.
Garvey Maceo’s goalkeeper, Garfield Tomlinson, produced the save of the match in the 87th minute, reacting brilliantly to tip away a deflected long-range effort from Denzil Watson.
With neither team able to find the breakthrough, the match headed to penalties, where Garvey Maceo proved the more composed side.
Tyreek McKenley’s opening effort was saved, but Devany McIntosh, Delano Thompson, Malik Robinson, and Wilton Williams converted their 12-yard kicks with precision.
It was a stark contrast for Glenmuir, as Orane Watson’s attempt was saved by Tomlinson, while O’Neil Headly and Nuemonie Blackwood found the back of the net. However, captain Ja-Son Whyte’s miss ended the two-time Champions Cup winners hopes of adding the daCosta Cup title to their season’s tally.
Thier assistant coach Ashani Mullings rued what could have been as their wait to end a lengthy daCosta Cup title drought dating back to 2012 continues.
"It is always a tough one considering the rivalry, but the penalty is 50-50, so we just have to congratulate Garvey Maceo and well-tried Glenmuir; we gave it everything.
Athletic Bilbao 1-2 Real Madrid: Mbappe penalty miss proves costly
Kylian Mbappe missed a second penalty in the space of a week as LaLiga champions Real Madrid slumped to a 2-1 defeat at Athletic Bilbao.
A week on from missing from the spot against Liverpool in the Champions League, Mbappe again fluffed his lines from 12 yards after Antonio Rudiger had been fouled.
Athletic were leading 1-0 thanks to Alex Berenguer's 53rd-minute effort, but Mbappe's tame effort was easily saved by Julen Agirrezabala.
Madrid did drag themselves level through Jude Bellingham in the 78th minute, yet Athletic were swiftly celebrating a second at the other end.
Federico Valverde gifted the ball to Gorka Guruzeta, who duly struck the winner beyond Thibaut Courtois.
The defeat sees Madrid remain four points behind Barcelona in LaLiga, though Los Blancos do have a game in hand.
Real missed the chance to close the gap on leaders Barcelona who top the standings on 37 points, four ahead of second-placed Real who have a game in hand.
Data Debrief: Mbappe makes a mess of it
Mbappe has now missed two of his five penalties for Madrid in all competitions, and this represents another dent for the France star as he looks to get his career in Spain truly up and running.
Madrid, meanwhile, have now lost five of their last 11 matches in all competitions (W6), suffering one more defeat than in their previous 73 matches (W52 D17 L4).
Bilbao, on the other hand, became the only team to have beaten Madrid and Barcelona in all competitions in 2024.
Embattled O'Neil confident he remains right for Wolves
Gary O'Neil insists he remains the right man to lead Wolves away from trouble, despite Wednesday's chastening 4-0 loss to Everton leaving them mired in the relegation zone.
Wolves could have climbed out of the bottom three with a victory at Goodison Park, but they instead fell to a calamitous defeat to increase the pressure on their under-fire boss.
Craig Dawson scored two own goals after Ashley Young and Orel Mangala had given Everton – who had not scored in their previous four Premier League matches – a 2-0 half-time lead.
Wolves have now conceded 36 goals in 14 Premier League matches this season, their most at this stage of a top-flight campaign since 1964-65 (40), when they were relegated.
Their nine defeats this term are also their most at this stage of a top-flight season since 2010-11, and it remains to be seen whether O'Neil will still be in the dugout when they visit West Ham on Monday.
Wolves' travelling fans reacted furiously at the full-time whistle as O'Neil was targeted with chants of, 'you're getting sacked in the morning', but he remains confident in his ability to turn things around.
"I will back myself in any role given to get the most out of the group that we have. In any role," O'Neil said.
"I understand the drive for change from the supporters. You never know how many of them it is or what percentage it is.
"The negative noise is always the loudest.
"Whatever the fans think of me, there's definitely no one working harder than me. I will continue to do so until someone tells me not to.
"I accept full responsibility. I'll work with everything I have and I back myself to get the most of the group."
After facing West Ham – and another under-pressure manager in Julen Lopetegui – Wolves take on Ipswich Town and Leicester City in two more huge relegation six-pointers before Christmas.
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
