Diego Costa Injury: Updates on Atletico Madrid Star's Leg and Return

Updates from Sunday, April 13

FootballEspana confirms Diego Costa will play today for Atletico Madrid:

Updates from Saturday, April 12

Atletico Madrid's official Twitter feed has the latest on Costa:

The club's website had more:

"

Diego Costa is the main novelty in the list of called players by Simeone to visit Getafe (Sunday at 19:00). The striker was given the all-clear after recovering of his semitendinosus muscle injury to his right thigh that made him leave the European quarter-final first leg against FC Barcelona, played on April 1st at the Camp Nou.

"

Updates from Wednesday, April 9

Football Espana has the latest on Diego Costa's status:

Updates from Tuesday, April 8

Diego Simeone is still hopeful Diego Costa can start Wednesday's Champions League quarter-final second leg against Barcelona.

Simeone said of the powerful forward on Tuesday, per ESPN FC's Dermot Corrigan:

Atletico Madrid's official Twitter feed reported that the striker would be in the side for Wednesday's game:

Updates from Monday, April 7

Football Espana has the latest on Diego Costa's status:

"

Neither Diego Costa nor Arda Turan took part in Atletico Madrid training today as they prepared for their Champions League meeting with Barcelona.

The duo both missed Saturday’s 1-0 League win over Villareal through injury and it remains to be seen whether they will be fit for Wednesday’s match.

Costa is still recovering from a thigh injury and is said to be the more doubtful of the two but Arda, who today underwent physiotherapy for a hernia problem, is expected to be available.

"

Updates from Wednesday, April 2

Dani Hidalgo of AS has the latest on Diego Costa's status:

"

The forward’s involvement in the second leg of Atlético’s quarter-final tie against Barça remains uncertain, and the player expressed his pessimism at his recovery chances earlier in the day. “The second leg? I won’t make it,” he told the attending media.

As he arrived at the Clínica Fremap in Majadahonda for tests to ascertain the extent of his injury, he insisted that he would be confined to the Vicente Calderón stands for the clash on 9 April. “The team looks very good to me and I’m in good spirits,” he said.

However after undergoing the tests and speaking to the doctors he changed his opinion completely. Smiling he said he would be "fit for everything" and that he was already "much better than yesterday".

"

Updates from Tuesday, April 1

Barcelona announced Diego Costa has left the match with a leg injury:

AS.com reports Costa's injury is being ruled a pulled hamstring:

Andrew Haslam of UEFA.com provided previously an update on Costa:

Original Text

Atletico Madrid have been dealt a huge blow on the eve of their Champions League quarter-final clash with Barcelona.   

Per Sid Lowe of The Guardian, Rojiblancos star striker Diego Costa sustained a thigh injury in a training session at Camp Nou in preparation for the game.

Atletico manager Diego Simeone noted that it was "unlikely he'll play tomorrow," via the Champions League on Twitter: 

If Costa fails to make the squad, his absence will be a huge tonic for Barcelona and will hand them a potentially huge advantage in the tie.

The naturalized Spaniard's goals have been one of the chief reasons why Atletico's La Liga and Champions League challenge has not faltered.

To date, per WhoScored.com, he has 25 league and seven Champions League goals to his name. His form coming into this game too has been magnificent, finding the target in each of his last five outings.

Lee Roden of talkSPORT called Costa "Atletico's Messi" and noted the player's attributes in the away game on Saturday against Athletic Bilbao:

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Constantly on the move, covering every blade of grass between one box and the other, Costa did not just destroy one centre-back, he destroyed two, leading from the front and making sure every single one of his team-mates dragged their levels match up to him.

"

Whilst he has yet to net against Barca this season, that sort of dominance in the Atleti front line would surely have caused problems for Gerard Pique and Javier Mascherano.

With the returning David Villa perhaps now forced to plow a lone furrow up front, Atletico's attacking options are severely curtailed, leaving Diego Simeone to change his tactics accordingly.