Gameiro out vs. Rostov, Torres to start

Atletico Madrid are getting set to host Rostov in the Champions League on Tuesday, needing a win to clinch a place in the competition’s last 16. However, Atletico will have to do this without the services of Kevin Gameiro.

According to AS, Gameiro has a left knee bruise, and the discomfort he is experiencing has led Diego Simeone to decide not to risk the Frenchman vs. Rostov. Instead, it will be Fernando Torres starting alongside Antoine Griezmann. The only other absence from training was that of Nicolas Gaitan, who went off against Malaga with an injury to his gluteus

After the Malaga game, Gameiro told reporters that he was not yet at 100%; his absence from Tuesday’s festivities would certainly seem to indicate that. However, this does not at all seem like something that will keep Gameiro out for any significant period of time and he may have time during the upcoming international break to recover (we’ll know soon if Didier Deschamps will again select him for France duty). For Tuesday, however, Torres is a capable replacement for an Atletico side looking to secure progression and looking to take another step toward winning Group D.