Atletico Madrid midfielder a huge doubt for Champions League semi-finals

Atletico Madrid winger Yannick Carrasco is a major doubt for their Champions League semi-final first leg against Real Madrid after suffering a shoulder injury in their 1-0 defeat to Villarreal on Tuesday evening.

Carrasco only last 16 minutes into their disappointing defeat before trudging off the pitch clutching his shoulder and Atletico have since confirmed x-ray results have highlighted a ‘grade 1 acromicolavicular joint sprain’.

It means the Belgium international is ruled out of their trip to Las Palmas at the weekend and is a huge doubt for their trip to city rivals Madrid next week for the first-leg of their huge Champions League clash.

“The medical report provided by the club’s medical services indicates that he suffers a grade 1 acromicolavicular joint sprain,” a statement read on the club’s official website.

While Madrid will be missing Gareth Bale, the loss of Carrasco would arguably be harder felt by Diego Simeone’s side. Nicolas Gaitan has failed to make any significant impression at Atletico since joining from Benfica over the summer and would not install any great confidence if selected.

The 23-year-old has really flourished for Atletico in his second season at the club having been rewarded with a new long-term deal earlier in the campaign. He has hit double figures for league goals for the first time in his career.

In fact, only Antoine Griezmann (16) has scored more times in La Liga for Atletico this season than Carrasco (10).

For more stats on Yannick Carrasco, click here to visit his WhoScored player page