Valverde’s first test

It’s time to prove yourself. After eight days, eleven training sessions in Lezama and an 18-hour drive between the flight to Madrid and the flight to Mexico, the first test of the preseason arrived. Athletic will face Chivas at the Akron stadium in the city of Guadalajara starting at eight o’clock in the afternoon in Bilbao, twelve o’clock in the afternoon in the capital of the state of Jalisco.

The match, which can be broadcast live on ETB-1 and on the Youtube channel of the rojiblanco club, coincides with the return of the Gernika Tree Trophy organized by Ibaigane on the occasion of the 125th anniversary against an entity with a similar philosophy in rojiblanca. Chivas only plays with soccer players in Mexico. The Bilbao team is worth a win or a draw after a 2-0 yield in the first leg played in San Mamés on December 11 of last year, with goals from Berenguer and sancet.

Probably, the clash is unbalanced between a team like Athletic that has just started the preparation phase and another one with more shots that won the three games it played in the Apertura de México tournament. Those led by Veljko Paunovic They defeated León (1-2), Atlético San Luis (3-1) and Necaxa (2-0), surely the next rivals of the lions, to become the sole leader of Liga MX before playing the next four week in the Liga Cup, a competition that will bring together Major League Soccer clubs of the United States and Canada and the League of the Aztec country between July 21 and August 19. Jonathan Padilla (2), Beltrán (2 ) and goal-bound Briseño, Cisneros and Juan Brígido each scored goals early in the competition. Fernando Hierro He is their sports director. The former Real Madrid player traveled to Guadalajara on the same regular flight as the lions.

probably, Valverde had to field two teams, one in each half due to the lack of shooting of their players, especially first simonwho joined the group to cross the pond after 25 days off after playing in the Nations League.

Txingurri, who took 24 football players, has the ability to make two teams, although with some players changing positions considering that they only have two specific central defenders –They lived and egiluz– and they have no left-backs. Imanol Garcia de Albeniz and Yuri Berchiche They stayed in Bilbao to recover from their respective injuries and the pup was also unable to travel Miguel Barandalla.

The formation of two elevens enters the realm of speculation, but the venture here may be one of them formed by first simon (it may not be playing), Hugo Rincon, Dani Vivian, Benat Prados (He played center in Mirandés), Lekue; Iñigo Ruiz de Galarreta, vesga; Nico Williams, holy, Berenguer and Javier Marton. The second can be included padilla; petxaroman, nolaskain, egiluz, first gomez (he played as a left-back in the last games for Bilbao Athletic last season); Victor, Ander Herrera; Hello Ares, Raul Garcia, black pudding and Gorka Guruzeta. junior guest and Nico Serrano They are the two remaining footballers.

Now you can start looking at the coach’s first brushstrokes for the 2023-24 season, although it is still too early to draw conclusions. On Wednesday comes the second friendly against Necaxa, on the 21st they return to Bilbao and from there there will be another four games in preparation before starting the League on August 12 against Real Madrid in San Mamés.