Simeone: Atletico 'hurt' by injuries before Copa del Rey semi-final

Diego Simeone says the injuries to Pablo Barrios and Johnny Cardoso have "hurt" Atletico Madrid ahead of their Copa del Rey semi-final clash with Barcelona.

Barrios has been ruled out with a right thigh injury, while Cardoso is also sidelined with a muscle problem, the latest in a string of issues for the American.

Barrios has been an influential figure in Atletico's midfield this season, playing 32 games across all competitions.

He has won possession more than anyone else in the squad (157) and has played the third-most passes (1,520), with 1,355 of those being successful.

And Simeone acknowledged that his absence would be a huge miss in the middle of the park against the reigning Copa del Rey champions.

"There's no substitute for Pablo. Johnny's injury hurts us," Simeone said.

"The young players who have arrived, Rodrigo and Vargas, are integrating into the group; they're in the adaptation phase. Rodrigo played a decent game on Sunday, and we have to add to that the daily work.

"We'll try to field those who can perform at their best."

Barcelona have beaten Simeone's Atletico more times than any other team (41 games, W23 D12 L6).

They are also the opponent that Simeone's side have faced most often in the Copa del Rey without managing a single victory (six games, D2 L4).

Atletico have lost their last four home games against Barcelona in all competitions and suffered a 1-0 defeat at this stage of the Copa del Rey last term.

However, as they go in search of an 11th title in the competition, and a first since 2012-13, Simeone remains confident his side can get a positive result against Hansi Flick's side.

"The coach's role is always the most imperfect," Simeone added. "The Betis match [5-0 win in the quarter-finals] came closest to perfection, although for me the first 15 minutes weren't good.

"We know what tools we have to give the players. The reality for coaches is to improve the players, and that's what we're focused on.

"I always have faith [about reaching the final]. I have it in everything I create, in everything I do every day, and it's something we've managed to transmit to the team all this time.

"And the people have had faith too, even before I arrived, all their lives. It's our third consecutive semi-final, so we're going for it."