Athletic Bilbao continues with several casualties before their visit to the Mestalla, where they will face Javier Aguirre's Valencia next Saturday. Coach Edin Terzic reported that Nico Williams, Sancet and central defender Laporte are still in the infirmary, which reduces the number of options available to the team in the next round of the League.
In the last training session in Lezama, Terzic explained that Nico Williams is recovering from an injury that prevents him from training, and that the club hopes he can return next week. For his part, Sancet seems to be more affected, and it is expected that his return will take longer. Laporte, who had been included in the list for the match against Rayo Vallecano, withdrew at the last minute due to an illness and did not train with the group again.
The German coach also revealed that Peio Canales was selected to fill the left wing position that Nico Williams had occupied, while center forward Berenguer and striker Maroan joined training later than the rest of their teammates. Maroan, although he has not played in an official match, was left on the bench alongside Guruzeta, another forward who has not yet taken his place in the squad.
For the match against Valencia, Athletic will have Arrigorriaga and Yeray in defense, while the midfield will be occupied by the young Vivian, who has been progressing little by little since the start of the season. The absence of Laporte, who has suffered pubic discomfort since the start of the preseason, continues to be a point of uncertainty, although the club hopes that he will be recovered for the match at Mestalla. In yesterday's practice, Paredes replaced Laporte in defense.
With a visit to Valencia just around the corner, Athletic faces the task of deciding whether injured players can participate. Coach Terzic and the medical staff will continue to evaluate the physical condition of those affected to determine if any of them will be able to play. The departure of the match against Rayo Vallecano without results and without the presence of the aforementioned players leaves the team with a reduced squad and the need to adjust its strategy for the next match.