Atletico Madrid have been handed a timely boost ahead of Sunday's La Liga showdown with Barcelona, with Johnny Cardoso training at a good pace on Thursday as he races to return from the thigh injury that has kept him out for three matches.
The American midfielder picked up a low-grade thigh muscle injury during Atletico's Champions League trip to Stuttgart on October 20 and has been limited to individual work ever since. He missed Tuesday's 2-0 defeat to Bayern Munich at the Metropolitano, a night Simeone later admitted was full of his own mistakes.
According to RotoWire, reporting Marca's Pascual Ruiz Arnal, Cardoso trained on Thursday alongside the substitutes from the Bayern game — a clear step up from the solo sessions of the past fortnight, and the first real sign that Sunday could come back into view.
A decision that goes to the wire
Nobody at Atletico is declaring him fit yet. Cardoso worked with the players who did not start against Bayern rather than the full group, and the coaching staff will judge his response to the heavier workload over the coming days before Simeone names his squad.
SI, in its latest USMNT injury round-up, lists Cardoso's potential return date as November 8 — the Barcelona game itself — while noting he has now missed three matches in a row. It has been an injury-plagued 2026 for the midfielder, whose stop-start year already cost him momentum at international level, and SI suggests Mauricio Pochettino may even prefer him to stay in Madrid and complete his recovery rather than join up with the United States later this month.
So what does his return mean for Sunday?
Atletico's midfield was second best against Bayern, and Simeone knows Barcelona's engine room will punish the same softness. Cardoso is the one Atletico midfielder who gives Simeone both bite and calm in possession — the screen in front of the defence who lets the rest of the side press without fear.
The symmetry is striking: Barcelona travel to the Metropolitano with their own midfield hole, after Rodri was ruled out of this clash with a hamstring problem. Whichever coach patches his midfield best may well decide the game.
Victory on Sunday would also keep Atletico's title hopes breathing after the Bayern setback. A fit Cardoso, even for an hour, changes Simeone's options completely — it is the difference between reacting to Barcelona and imposing on them.
Beyond the Final Whistle: Cardoso will not win this game on his own, and rushing him back would be a gamble — but his return to full-speed training three days out is the best news Simeone has had all week. Atletico looked like a side missing their anchor against Bayern. If Cardoso makes the squad, the Metropolitano crowd will feel the lift before a ball is kicked, and Barcelona will know they are facing a very different Atletico.
Will Cardoso make the difference if he returns against Barcelona on Sunday? Let us know what you think in the comment section.
