The league break is looking very good for Athletic. Since the lions played in Zorrilla against Valladolid, Valverde has had enough time to recover the pieces on the one hand and not lose them on the other. The entire squad, with the only question being whether Unai Simón is ready to compete or not, is at the coach’s disposal for tomorrow’s derby against Real.
At least that was the image that could be gathered yesterday during Lezama’s morning training session. The Athletic coach, true to his custom, kept the media session open for the first quarter of an hour and then ordered the doors closed. If no injuries or last-minute unforeseen events occurred yesterday or arose today after afternoon training, all members of the first team will arrive in good condition for this rivalry match that will be held tomorrow, starting at 9 pm, at San Mamés.
The main uncertainty, in any case, revolves around the status of Unai Simón. The starting goalkeeper for both the Athletic and Spanish teams underwent surgery on his right wrist after the Euro Cup in Germany and has not competed since. Valverde, as the goalkeeper himself or even his teammate Iñaki Williams has publicly recognized in recent hours, is now on the floor. We will have to wait, therefore, to see whether or not the Alava goalkeeper is included in the squad against Real. Playing with him at the beginning, what we saw, seems more complicated, even in football you never know.
The doubts
Sancet and Berenguer, the other two lions who have had some physical problems in recent weeks, returned to training yesterday with the rest of the group. The choice of one or the other, assuming they are fully recovered, constitutes one of the biggest doubts over Athletic’s possible starting eleven against Real. The first of them has repeated the most times in central midfield, but his teammate has also shown enough signs to play in that position. The wingers are reserved for Williams and the forwards for Guruzeta.
Another of the red-and-white uncertainties facing the derby is in the double pivot. Ruiz de Galarreta seems to have settled on the said demarcation and his partner should go between Prados, Jauregizar or even Vesga. The latter, it is true, had almost no continuation in this campaign.
It remains to be confirmed if Valverde keeps his bet on a defensive line of four. Yesterday he was talking on the field with Gorosabel, although De Marcos was presented as the most frequent alternative on the right side. Same as Yuri on the left. In the center, the logical thing, what we have seen, is to continue to influence the Vivian-Paredes tandem, although Yeray, who has now recovered, has just started with Zorrilla.
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.
