Atletico’s Le Normand ready to play after brain injury, confirms Simeone

Atletico Madrid defender Robin Le Normand will be available to play in Thursday’s Copa del Rey second-round match against CP Cacereno after recovering from a brain injury, manager Diego Simeone confirmed on Wednesday.

Le Normand, 28, sustained a traumatic brain injury in a collision with Real Madrid’s Aurelien Tchouameni during a 1-1 draw on September 29. The injury required on-field medical attention, but Le Normand has now made a full recovery and is set to return to competitive action. He has made eight appearances for Atletico since joining from Real Sociedad in the offseason, after winning the Euros with Spain.

Simeone spoke about the recovery process, saying, “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. Then comes the player, who started to get in shape and is now ready to start competing tomorrow. Seeing the enthusiasm that he transmits, he is very happy and eager to help the team.”

Atletico Madrid is on a seven-match winning streak ahead of Thursday’s game and will look to extend their run. However, Simeone emphasized the importance of consistency over the course of the season. “We have things to improve, the team grows from a block, and I always call that block a team, neither offensive nor defensive,” he said. “We need that consistency, which is the most difficult thing to maintain during the season.”

Simeone also noted that competition among players helps maintain the team’s focus and performance. He reminded his squad of the club’s 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.”

Looking ahead to the match against Cacereno, who have a strong home record, Simeone warned that the team would need to be at their best. “We will make a team to try to hurt Cacereno, who does very well at home and will compete as they did against Real Madrid last year,” he said.

Simeone also mentioned that forward Antoine Griezmann will be unavailable for Thursday’s match but hopes he will be ready for Friday’s game.