Valencia has opened the doors of its Paterna Sports City to the press for the first time in three years, allowing journalists to witness the first fifteen minutes of Thursday's training session. The measure, which is carried out within the framework of the arrival of Braulio Vázquez and Javier Aguirre to the coaching staff, also reflects a renewed approach with the media.
During the session, Aguirre focused on the preparation of the goalkeepers, while the rest of the technical team, led by Luis Rioja and José Copete, led the activation exercises and the usual rounds of the ball. The two coaches worked with their regular players, maintaining normality in practice. The atmosphere on the field, under the supervision of José Manuel Ochotorena, was positive and without incident.
Regarding the physical condition of the players, winger Luis Rioja has been dealing with discomfort in the calcaneus and plantar fat area for more than a month. For his part, center back José Copete has returned to training at the same pace as the rest of the group after seven months of absence due to a meniscus injury in his left knee. Both players are improving their availability for the next match on Saturday against Athletic Club, which will be held at the Mestalla.
Valencia will hold its last training session on Friday before the match, where the evolution of Rioja and Copete will be closely monitored. The match against Athletic will also mark Javier Aguirre's debut as coach of the club, after his debut on the Real Sociedad bench at El Sardinero. Sadiq Umar, who is recovering from a right hamstring injury, and Dimitri Foulquier, who continues to deal with left knee problems since February, were not present at the Paterna Sports City.