Atlético hit by Diego Godín injury blow

Late in normal time of Tuesday's game with PSV Eindhoven, Diego Simeone made a curious substitution. Simeone removed center back Diego Godín on 88 minutes, with extra time looming in a crucial match at the Vicente Calderón. Godín is one of Simeone's pillars and always puts in 90 minutes, game after game after game. What seemed curious Tuesday now makes total sense, though, unfortunately.

On Thursday morning, Atlético Madrid's official English Twitter account (in one of its typically wordy injury reports) confirmed Godín injured a muscle in the back of his thigh. He apparently strained it to the point where Marca say that the pharaoh will be out three weeks. Ugh. Not good.

However, not all is lost in the aftermath of what is arguably the biggest result of Atlético's season so far. If Marca are correct - they have a decent record with this stuff - Godín will miss league games against Sporting Gijón away and Real Betis at home. Both are games in which Atleti should take three points without much trouble, and Lucas Hernández has shown himself to be a capable deputy in spite of his youth. With Stefan Savic due to return soon from an injury of his own, Simeone should have fine cover in Godín's absence.

(Not sure Uruguay can say the same, he'll miss two games for them too.)

At any rate, the Marca story says Atlético's medical staff are centering Godín's rehab on the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinals, whenever and wherever that may be. I'm willing to bet my right arm that Godín will be ready for that fixture.