Athletic Club will be without Yuri for Thursday’s clash against Elfsborg due to a psoas injury. The left-back is experiencing muscle overload, leaving him doubtful for Sunday’s LaLiga match against Rayo Vallecano, and his availability for upcoming fixtures against Real Madrid and Villarreal is also in jeopardy. “Right now, I’m focused on enjoying day-to-day life and being available to help the team,” he stated just an hour before training during the pre-match press conference. The training session in Lezama concluded with this disappointing news.
The Zarauzta player was set to be included in the starting eleven, which will now require a change in the left-back position. Valverde’s alternatives for that role are Adama or Lekue. Neither of them has featured in European matches this season, but they have had similar participation in LaLiga: Adama has played 339 minutes, while Lekue has clocked 315 minutes.
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The psoas muscle overload necessitates rest and further diagnostic imaging tests to rule out any potential tears. Should the tests reveal damage beyond simple overload, Yuri will not be fit to return until after the Christmas break.
Athletic Club will approach the fixture against Elfsborg with a squad of 24 players, including new additions Martón and Adama compared to the last league call-up. The players called up by Valverde include Simón, Gorosabel, Vivian, Paredes, Yeray, Vesga, Berenguer, Sancet, Iñaki Williams, Nico, Djaló, Guruzeta, Agirrezabala, Nuñez, Lekue, Galarreta, De Marcos, Martón, Unai Gómez, Herrera, Nico Serrano, Jauregizar, Prados, and Adama.
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