Athletic continue to prepare in the rain for tomorrow’s game against Valencia in San Mamés. The sixth place in the table receives a visit from the eighth. The distance between one team and another is only three points.
Victory, logically, would allow Valverde’s team to double their current difference in respect to Mestalla’s team. A tie, on the other hand, will leave things the same. The defeat, finally, will make the Valencians have the same points in the qualifying table and enter, at the expense of Rayo, the European zone (seventh at the moment with 16 points, one less than Athletic and two more in the squad Levantine) .
Things, as far as the red and white infirmary were concerned, continued as they had at the beginning of the week. Valverde is still unable to recover the troops, although there is a signal of discharge for this Sunday’s call-up. Mikel Vesga, who has been out of the team due to physical discomfort since he was substituted in the 64th minute of the match against Getafe in San Mamés but has been training as one of the team since the beginning of the week, seems completely. get well
His presence, whether in the starting eleven or on the bench, will allow Valverde to have at least five centre-halves again, as Ander Herrera, who was injured in Sunday’s warm-up against Barça, could be given as thrown. . Ruiz de Galarreta, for his part, already made it clear in Montjuïc that he is in the right physical condition to play in the starting eleven, although another thing that is quite different is whether he can last the whole match.
With Eibartarra and Dani García, Valverde ensures at least the double pivot he lined up at the start against the Barça team. Vesga, if needed, can also contribute substance and experience in an area of the field that Beñat Prados and Unai Gómez, two newcomers to the so-called First Division, occupied against the Blaugrana.
From what was seen in Montjuïc, it is clear that the Gasteiz coach does not think of Nolaskoain as a possible center midfielder. The Zumaia footballer, who turned 25 on Wednesday, is aiming to land a third center in the absence of Yeray due to a medium-long-term injury. For now, the tandem formed by Vivian and Paredes remains.
Left behind
In addition to the aforementioned Ander Herrera and Yeray, the third Athletic outfield player who is out of the dynamic group due to injury is Yuri. Against Barça, Lekue was chosen to play on the left side, although his good foot is the right. Imanol, who has not been published since match day three, is the other alternative.
Finally, Agirrezabala also remains out of the group due to a wound on the lower left eyelid caused by a blow in training. Padilla, the goalkeeper of the reserve team, continues to work with Unai Simón.
Source: La Verdad
I am Shawn Partain, a journalist and content creator working for the Today Times Live. I specialize in sports journalism, writing articles that cover major sporting events and news stories. With a passion for storytelling and an eye for detail, I strive to be accurate and insightful in my work.
