Atletico Madrid’s faint La Liga title hopes have bene dashed with the news that top striker Radamel Falcao will be out for three weeks after picking up a leg injury at the weekend.
Falcao got injured while sprinting for a ball in the 57th minute of Atletico’s 2-0 win over Levante and immediately grabbed the upper part of his left leg, a sure sign of a hamstring injury.
Atletico coach Diego Simeone said the Colombia striker will be out “around 20 days.”
“We don’t know exactly what he has, but he is hurt. He will rest and that will serve him well,: Simeone said. “Falcao will be a great reinforcement for us when he comes back.”
Atletico is in second place, eight points behind Barcelona just past the season’s midway point, and Falcao’s 18 league goals this season is a big reason why Atletico are second in the table.
Atletico plays Real Betis on Thursday in the Copa del Rey. It then faces Athletic Bilbao and Betis in the league over the next two weekends.
Adrian Lopez, who scored Atletico’s opener on Sunday and has been linked to a move to Arsenal, is expected toreplace Falcao up front alongside Diego Costa.