Atletico Madrid may have to do the rest of the season without their star striker Alvaro Morata after tests on the illness that made him miss Atletico Madrid’s defeat to Alaves over the weekend revealed a more complex situation.

Morata has made sixteen goal contributions in twenty-eight La Liga matches, but he last featured in the 4-2 loss to Borussia Dortmund in the UEFA Champions League, playing just 46 minutes. He was reported to be suffering from an illness before Sunday’s game, but the 31-year-old has been diagnosed with an acute trigeminal neuralgia.

The former Real and Juventus striker missed Tuesday’s training session, and no date has been set yet for his return from an illness that is said to be a long-term pain disorder that affects the trigeminal nerve.

The striker may need surgery to rectify the issue, which can make completing daily tasks more difficult, but availability for the weekend’s fixture against Athletic Club at the Civitas Metropolitano hangs very much in the balance.

The Spanish striker has been integral in Atletico Madrid’s race for the UEFA Champions League, scoring 14 goals and making two assists in 28 La Liga games. He scored five more goals and one assist in the UEFA Champions League, although Diego Simeone’s side was knocked out in the quarterfinal.

The weekend fixture against an athletic club is very, very important as there is just a three-point difference between both teams, with Atletico Madrid joining the advantage sitting in football position and in the final UEFA Champions League spot.

Atletico Madrid is seven points behind Girona on the table and will still play Mallorca away from home, as well as Celta Vigo at Wanda Metropolitano before their final four games of the season.

Atletico Madrid’s city rivals, Real Madrid, are on course to win the La Liga title after beating Barcelona 3-2 at the weekend to establish an 11 points gap.

Daniel Ademiju Idowu