UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
Why isn’t Santi Giménez playing for Feyenoord against Atlético Madrid in the UEFA Champions League?
The Dutch champions defeated Celtic in their opening Group E game but will again be without the former Cruz Azul attacker in Madrid.
Dutch champions Feyenoord are back in the UEFA Champions League after a six-year absence and will be looking to in-form Mexico national team striker Santi Giménez to help them navigate their way through Group E, which contains Lazio, Atlético Madrid and Celtic. Unfortunately for the Rotterdam side, however, the 22-year-old, who has scored 10 goals in just eight matches so far in 2023-24, won’t be able to take to the field at the Civitas Metropolitano on Wednesday night having already missed the group opener against the Scottish club.
Why is Giménez serving a suspension in Europe?
The Cruz Azul academy product is having to sit out Feyenoord’s return to Europe’s elite club competition due to suspension, after being shown a red card in his team’s last European fixture in 2022-23, a Europa League quarter-final second leg against José Mourinho’s Roma in Italy.
Giménez was sent off after receiving two yellow cards at the Stadio Olimpico, the first for preventing an opposition player from taking a quick throw-in in the first half and the second for a foul on Roma defender Gianluca Mancini at the end of extra time.
When will Giménez make his Champions League debut?
As a result of his misdemeanours, the Tri forward was hit with a two-match European ban, coinciding with the first two games of this year’s Champions League group stage against Celtic and Atlético Madrid. His first appearance in the competition should come at home to Lazio on Wednesday 25 October.
Giménez bagged five goals in last season’s Europa League, behind only Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford and Victor Boniface of Union Saint-Gilloise, who netted six. The Mexican’s blistering start to this campaign, which included a hat-trick in a controversial 4-0 win against bitter rivals Ajax, means he has scored 33 times in 53 appearances for Feyenoord in all competitions.