5 questions for Atlético Madrid to answer against Qarabag

Atlético Madrid travel to Azerbaijan for a Champions League game against minnows Qarabag with many questions to answer. After being toppled by Chelsea in the last round of Champions League fixtures, Diego Simeone's team is in a must-win predicament. A slip-up against Qarabag would see the three-time Champions League finalists dragged closer towards an almost certain elimination.

Here are five questions that Simeone has to answer ahead of Los Rojiblancos' game against Qarabag.

1. Right-back

Juanfran Torres has been Diego Simeone's first choice right-back for most of his stint at Atleti. Now, the Spanish international is 32-years old and is showing signs of decadence. In fact, he hasn't even made the squad for the Qarabag game.

Luckily for Simeone, he has two other quality right-back choices in Sime Vrsaljko and José María Giménez. While the latter is naturally a centreback, he has filled in admirably at right-back before, although typically in a more defensive setting.

Vrsaljko has been injured for the majority of this season, only featuring in three games so far. With Simeone needing the win, the 25-year old Croatian is likely to come back into the back four. His pace, agility, strength, and crosses will all be great offensive tools for Atleti.

An unlikely alternative for Simeone would be to field no traditional right-back at all. Simeone experimented with three centre-backs and two wingbacks in stretches against Chelsea and Girona before actually trying a 3-5-2 against Leganés in late September. Then, he used Ángel Correa and Saúl Ñiguez at wingback.

2. Youth or experience?

Ángel Correa is a youthful, dynamic option for Diego Simeone.

This season, Diego Simeone has been gradually phasing out the ageing players in the Atleti squad to pave the way for younger, fresher players. Captain Gabi has seen his undisputed starting berth taken by Thomas Partey, while the likes of 21-year old defender Lucas Hernandez and 22-year old Ángel Correa have also come into the side.

Now, in such a big fixture, Simeone needs to decide whether he wants to go with the proven products or keep giving the youngsters a shot. In midfield, Simeone could choose either Thomas or Gabi to accompany Saúl and Koke. Diego Godín seems a certain starter in the middle of the defence and, even though Stefan Savic has usually accompanied him, Lucas is Atleti's most in-form centre-back.

Up top, Fernando Torres is usually reliable when it comes to offering a physical and aerial presence that Antoine Griezmann can play off of. Yet, El Niño's best days are behind him and a more dynamic striker pairing with Correa or Luciano Vietto is capable of troubling Qarabag's rigid defensive structure.

3. Last chance saloon for Nico Gaitán?

Nico Gaitán's arrival at Atleti in the summer of 2016 was met with excitement and fanfare. The Argentine winger was a fearsome opponent at Benfica, wreaking havoc with his combination of skill, vision, and creativity.

More than two years later, Gaitán is yet to adapt at Atlético. He hasn't produced the goods for Atlético and has been mostly relegated to warming the bench. Even more worryingly, Atleti fans are losing their patience with Gaitán for a perceived lack of commitment and effort. Just last weekend, the 29-year old winger failed to close down Sergi Roberto before Barcelona's equalizer at the Wanda Metropolitano.

With the game against Qarabag coming only three days after the encounter against Barça, Gaitán could be rotated into the side, possibly for Yannick Carrasco. This should be one of his last chances and, with Vitolo arriving soon, he needs to make a good impression to have any chance at staying in Madrid past the January transfer window.

4. Return for Augusto?

Could Baku, Azerbaijan be the perfect setting for Augusto's return?

Augusto Fernández has been on the sidelines for over a year after a debilitating ACL injury in September of 2016 against Deportivo La Coruña. Now, he's been included in the squad against Qarabag, something Diego Simeone would not do unless he trusted that the Argentina midfielder was back to full fitness.

Before his injury, Augusto had been a bright spot in Atleti's midfield following his move from Celta de Vigo. The 31-year old is good with the ball at his feet, capable of making the right passes at the right time, something which should relieve Koke of his creative duties a bit. His endless stamina enables him to lead Atleti's press, something that Gabi is usually tasked with.

After their transfer ban, Atleti's midfield depth is incredibly shallow. Only Gabi, Thomas, Koke, and Saúl are natural midfielders. The latter three are still young, meaning that Simeone has to be careful about playing them too much, while Gabi is 34-years old and is losing his consistency which made him a bastion of Simeone's midfield for so long.

Augusto could step in after a long injury layoff and show that he's still capable of dictating Atleti's midfield.

5. Kévin for the win?

Could Kevin Gameiro be the man that Atleti need?

Kévin Gameiro has barely featured for Atleti this season. Diego Simeone has only let him step on the pitch for a total of 27 minutes this season, a sign that he's lost complete trust in the Frenchman. Some of this could be attributed to Gameiro's decision to have surgery on a pending medical issue right before pre-season. It could also be because of his lackluster first season in Madrid.

Despite his shortcomings, Gameiro scored 16 goals last season. A low number for a first choice striker, but still good enough to be Atleti's second top goalscorer. He is yet to put on a red-and-white shirt in the Champions League, perhaps indicating that a future transfer has already been agreed on. Yet, his inclusion in the traveling party for Qarabag seems to show that Simeone feels like he can still use Gameiro.

The former Sevilla man provides qualities that none of Atleti's other strikers have. Luciano Vietto and Ángel Correa prefer to link up play, while Fernando Torres mostly relies on his physicality and poaching at his 33 years of age. Gameiro can run in behind the defense and stretch the opposition, opening up gaps that the likes of Griezmann, Carrasco, and Saúl can exploit.

Griezmann aside, Simeone's frontmen have only scored 3 goals this season, with all of them coming from Correa. Perhaps Gameiro is the man to boost Atleti's goalscoring.