Atletico Madrid is world renowned for its fitness, but suffers a crisis of injuries before hosting Liverpool in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday, and its level has declined a lot.
The Spanish team has announced 19 injuries among its players this season, facing Atletico their worst seasons in eight years under coach Diego Simeone.
Atletico won only one of their last six encounters in all competitions and recently deposited the King's Cup in front of an unnamed team. It is fourth in the league, 13 points behind leaders Real Madrid.
Atletico will miss the efforts of prominent players against defending champions Liverpool such as Joao Felix and Kieran Trippier as striker Diego Costa struggles to get fit in time before the match after his back injury in November.
But top scorer Alvaro Morata, defender Jose Jimenez and captain Kouki are on high alert for the match against coach Juergen Klopp's team after their absence from long periods of the season and their recent return to competitions.
"We faced many injuries, but last year we suffered more injuries, yet we finished the season in second place, so there are no excuses," Simeone said last week.
The Argentine coach took charge of Atletico in 2012, but he managed to turn the team into one of the most prominent teams in Europe. Simeone built his success on the formidable fitness of the players that allowed the team to press relentlessly on competitors and produce good results in difficult confrontations.
Fitness coach Oscar Ortega was behind this success before his relations with the players were strained.
Defender Stefan Savic entered into an argument with a Uruguayan fitness coach after a Champions League match last season against Juventus and his team-mate Sand Simeone.
"He makes mistakes but Ortega is without a doubt one of the best specialists in his field," Simeone said.
Ortega has been working with the Argentine coach since 2006, and he said of the dispute with the players, "It is the father's relationship with his children. Sometimes there are disagreements, but we are still one family."
In addition to the long list of injuries, Atletico's decline may be due to the departure of several prominent players last year, such as Antoine Griezmann, Felipe Louis and Diego Godin. Simeone said the team is going through a transition period this year.
Compared to rival Liverpool, on course to win the English Premier League, breaking records, Atletico appear less powerful.
But midfielder Marcos Llorente rejects any talk of his team back down. "When you start losing some matches, you face difficult questions, but when you win three of four matches, everyone forgets everything," he said.
"We have to stop thinking about this way to focus on getting out of this position. The confrontation against Liverpool will be difficult, but I trust the team will fight."