Koke nears starting role against Barcelona

Koke, Atlético Madrid's captain, is close to starting against Barcelona after recovering from the injury that kept him out of the last five matches. He returned to participate against Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League.

According to "Mundo Deportivo", Diego Simeone has experimented with using Koke alongside Pablo Barrios in midfield, aiming to benefit from his captain's experience and ability to build play.

If he participates, it will be Koke's 751st match with Atlético across all competitions, having reached 750 matches, making him the third player to reach this milestone with a single club in Spain.

Xavi Hernandez leads with 767 matches for Barcelona, while Lionel Messi has played 778 matches, as Atletico Madrid's captain continues to pursue their records.

The match holds special memories for Koke, who made his first-team debut against Barcelona at Camp Nou on September 19, 2009, when he came on for the last 19 minutes of a game that ended in a 5-2 victory for the Catalan side.