Simeone knows nothing about Courtois situation

Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone has no idea if on-loan goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois can play against parent club Chelsea.

Chelsea chief executive Ron Gourlay has said the 21-year-old Belgium international is free to play in the UEFA Champions League semi-final.
UEFA have also cleared Courtois to play in the tie but confusion remains over whether the shot-stopper – who is in his third straight season on loan at Atletico – will line-up for the Spanish club.

Courtois has played a huge part in helping Atletico reach the last four and to the top of the La Liga table.

“Nobody has told me anything about the Courtois situation,” Simeone told a news conference on Saturday.

“I can’t give my opinion.”

Simeone’s side are top of the La Liga table and could move three points clear with a win at Getafe on Sunday.

Striker Diego Costa, who has scored 25 league goals this season, could return from a hamstring injury, which kept him out of the Champions League second-leg win over Barcelona.

“He looked good in training. We’ll have a chat with him and decide,” Simeone said.

Simeone has insisted throughout the campaign he has focused solely on one game at a time, and that was questioned by reporters due to the way he dealt with the Costa injury.

But the Argentine said Costa was unable to give ‘100 per cent’ against Barca and left out for that reason.

“Four days of recovery is no small matter. I’m not sure if we’ll rotate or not,” Simeone said.