Atletico Madrid Gimenez also forced off in first-half

Even before the half-time whistle had blown in Atletico Madrid's match with Deportivo La Coruna had Los Rojiblancos seen both Augusto Fernandez and Jose Gimenez stretchered off with injuries.

Only 17 minutes had gone when a stiff challenge from visiting midfielder Celso Borges led to Augusto's knee being attended to by medical staff, with the complaint severe enough to enforce a change and Gabi came on as the replacement.

The Argentine suffered a significant knee injury during the last campaign, although that occurred on the other knee to the one affected on Sunday.

After undergoing medical tests, doctors have now confirmed that it is a tear in Augusto's right knee ligament, sidelining him for 'at least six months'.

Following that, defender Gimenez was stretchered off with just minutes left of the first-half as he fell to the ground under an innocuous challenge, indicating the pain was in his groin.

Lucas Hernandez came on for the Argentine and now both face a race to be fit for Atletico's clash with Bayern Munich in midweek, although some fear a lengthy spell on the sidelines.