Atletico Madrid used its official channels to question Federico Valverde's return to Real Madrid's squad for the league match against Villarreal. Valverde had been reported to have a grade-three left ankle sprain after the Madrid derby.
The Atletico message sarcastically congratulated Real Madrid for what it described as proving medical opinion wrong. It also referred to a remarkable recovery and the earlier medical report. Real Madrid included Valverde in its matchday group despite the recent injury update. The exchange adds another layer to the rivalry after the derby, but neither club announced a change to the player's diagnosis. The immediate football issue is whether Valverde is fit enough to feature against Villarreal.