Athletic midfielder Galarreta will be forced to miss his team's next three games after suffering a moderate injury to his right hamstring muscle. The injury, which was confirmed after a puncture during the match against Getafe, leaves him out until the end of the November break, according to the club's medical reports.
With Galarreta's injury, Athletic will lose the player in the Copa del Rey premiere against Prat, scheduled for this Thursday, as well as in the two League derbies against Real Sociedad and Osasuna. The match with Real Sociedad will be held on Sunday in San Mamés at 9:00 p.m., and the match against Osasuna will be held on Saturday the 7th in El Sadar at 6:30 p.m. Galarreta's absence adds to the list of casualties that the Bilbao team faces before coach Luis Enrique Terzic resumes domestic competition on Friday the 20th, when Athletic faces Espanyol in La Catedral.
After Athletic's victory over Getafe, the group returned to the training area this morning, with their sights set on the next match in L'Hospitalet. The coach is expected to make some rotations in the starting eleven, especially after the accumulation of loads of the players who participated in the match against the azulones. Among those who have regained fitness are Canales, Berenguer and Maroan, although some, like Unai Simón, have remained out of the training center after winning the Yashin Trophy in London. The goalkeeper, considered by many to be the best in the world, returned on a private flight so as not to miss the appointment at the red-and-white facilities, although he left a little before Padilla and Santos.
Uncertainty about Terzic's intentions regarding the Copa del Rey lineup also persists. It is speculated that he could repeat the rotation strategy that Valverde used, which would allow players like Txus Vizcay, who made his debut against Getafe, to continue in the first team dynamic. In free media time, Vizcay spoke with the coach before heading to practice.
As for the rest of the squad, the team is expected to train again tomorrow starting at 10:30, in the last session before the game against Prat. Terzic will clarify the call on the day of the match, but it is likely that changes will be made to the starting eleven against a team that plays in the Catalan regional. Players who could benefit from an opportunity include Padilla, Yeray, Johaneko, Areso, Jauregizar, Robert Navarro and Nico Serrano, all without minutes in the recent 4-0 win over Getafe. The possibility of giving minutes to Rego, who came on in the second half of the last game, or to Djaló, who has worked normally but has not played since his return from Guinea-Bissau with a virus in the previous international window, is also being considered.