Diego Simeone has never been afraid of big calls. On the eve of a Champions League quarter-final first leg at the Camp Nou, he has made another one.
Jan Oblak, the emblematic Slovenian goalkeeper and long-time pillar of Atlético Madrid’s success, will not travel to Barcelona. Fit enough to train, but not fit enough to play. The gloves stay with Juan Musso.
Musso Holds the Shirt
Musso, the Argentine who stepped in when Oblak fell injured, will start again in the first leg against Barcelona. He has done more than just fill a gap. Since Oblak’s last appearance on 7 March in La Liga against Real Sociedad, Musso has produced a string of commanding performances, steadying Atlético through a crucial stretch of the season.
Oblak’s absence has already stretched to league fixtures against Getafe, Real Madrid and Barcelona, plus the Champions League tie with Tottenham. A month on the sidelines, and now one more huge night watched from afar in Madrid.
Simeone had a decision to make. Oblak has trained well in recent days, sharpening up at Cerro del Espino and forcing the question: trust the long-time No. 1 or ride the form of the man in possession? The answer is clear. Match rhythm matters. Musso keeps the shirt.
A Rivalry Rekindled
The backdrop could hardly be more charged. Barcelona arrive with the psychological edge after their 2-1 win over Atlético in La Liga’s 30th round at the Metropolitano, a breathless, knife-edge contest that reopened old wounds and reignited this modern rivalry.
Now the stage shifts to Europe and to the Camp Nou, where the stakes are higher and the margins thinner. One mistake can tilt a tie. One save can define it. For Musso, this is the kind of night careers are built on.
Atlético Travel Light
Simeone’s squad list underlines the difficulty of the task. Four players miss out, trimming his options for a game that will demand intensity and discipline for the full 90 minutes.
Oblak stays in Madrid. So do Jonny Cardoso, José María Giménez and Pablo Barrios, all sidelined by injuries or knocks. Giménez’s absence, in particular, strips experience from the heart of the defence just when Atlético could use every ounce of it.
The travelling group still carries quality and bite, but the margin for error shrinks without those names. Every duel, every second ball, every transition becomes that little bit more decisive.
A Call with Consequences
Inside Atlético, there had been genuine doubt. Oblak is not just another player; he is a reference point, a leader, the man who has bailed them out in countless European nights. His positive work in training had opened the door, if only slightly.
Simeone shut it. Not forever, but for now. The reasoning is brutal and simple: Oblak lacks competitive minutes, and this is no stage for a keeper still feeling his way back. Musso, sharp and confident after a strong run since early March, gets the nod.
So Atlético go into the Camp Nou with a stand-in who no longer feels like one, a reshaped squad and a fresh scar from their recent league defeat to Barcelona.
The question now is whether this bold call in goal becomes the foundation of a famous European night, or a decision that will be picked apart for months to come.
