Cristiano Ronaldo to miss Madrid derby after picking up minor thigh injury

Atletico Madrid have been handed a huge boost ahead of the Madrid derby at the Vicente Calderon on Saturday with the news that Cristiano Ronaldo has been ruled out through injury.

Gabi is hopeful Mourinho will make major changes but warned the visitors will still pose a major threat. "We expect that Madrid will come here to win the game, regardless of which players play," he said. "No-one expected that result (against Dortmund), not them, nor the people who watched it from the outside, but they know how to get over this. "It is obvious that at the end of the season those special players like Cristiano or [Mesut] Ozil are the ones that win you most points. If Mourinho doesn't think they should play then it is better for us." During the week Atletico forward Diego Costa was cleared to play after the yellow card he received against Sevilla last week, which meant he would have missed the game with Madrid, was rescinded. Simeone now has a full squad to choose from, with the exception of Arda Turan, who is still recovering from an ankle injury.