La Liga: Atletico Madrid midfielder Koke to miss Champions League clash after being ruled out for a month
Sunday 8 February 2015 14:26, UK
Atletico Madrid may be without midfielder Koke for over a month after he suffered a torn hamstring in his side's 4-0 thrashing of Real Madrid on Saturday.
The defending La Liga champions confirmed the severity of the injury which forced the midfielder to be substituted midway through the first half at the Vicente Calderon.
Koke, a 23-year-old Spain international and an integral part of the Atletico midfield, is now set to miss the Champions League last 16 first leg with Bayer Leverkusen this month and possibly La Liga clashes against Sevilla and Valencia.
"Incredible performance from the team! And thanks for your messages! I hope to be back soon," Koke wrote on his Twitter account.
The victory pulled Atletico within four points of their capital neighbours, and Koke's loss was bittersweet as he was replaced by 20-year-old Saul Niguez, who went on to score a stunning overhead-kick and set up the third goal for Antoine Griezmann.
Saul also injured himself in the process of teeing up Griezmann but scans have ruled out anything more serious than just a knock on his left knee.
Defender Diego Godin also played the majority of the game with a broken nose after clashing with Sami Khedira after ten minutes.
However, the club confirmed the Uruguayan won't need surgery on the injury.
