Atletico's Defensive Crisis Continues as Juanfran Ruled Out of Upcoming La Liga Clash With Barcelona

Atletico Madrid have confirmed that defender Juanfran will be forced to watch Saturday's clash with Barcelona from the sidelines after suffering a calf injury.

Atletico are just one point behind Barcelona at the top of La Liga, meaning the upcoming match will likely have a huge impact on the league table. Los Rojiblancos are unbeaten in the league since early September, and they will be eager to continue their impressive form with a positive result against Ernesto Valverde's Barcelona.

Unfortunately for Atletico fans, they will have to do so without right-back Juanfran, as the club confirmed on Twitter that the defender has suffered a calf injury.

Juanfran finished Thursday's training session with a pain in his leg and, after undergoing an MRI scan, was diagnosed with a muscular injury, meaning he joins Atletico's long list of defensive injuries.

Diego Godin, Jose Gimenez, Lucas Hernandez and Stefan Savic have all recently suffered injuries, but Marca state that both Savic and Lucas have recovered from their injuries. However, they add that the pair may not be fit enough to play a significant part in the upcoming match.

With Santiago Arias seemingly cementing his place as Atletico's first-choice right-back in recent weeks, Juanfran would likely have been used as a makeshift centre-back against Barcelona. However, with the Spaniard unavailable, Diego Simeone may be forced to involve several youth players in an attempt to bolster his squad.

19-year-old Francisco Montero has been involved with the first-team in recent weeks, and the likes of Alberto Rodriguez and Victor Ruiz could also find themselves part of the squad to face Barcelona.

Quality Sport Images/GettyImages

There is no specific recovery period mentioned for Juanfran, with the club instead stating that his return to the squad will depend on the evolution of the injury.