Sancet ruled out for three weeks with soleus injury

Athletic Club head into their away match against Rayo Vallecano with a significant absence in the creative department. Before Thursday's training session at Lezama, the Basque club confirmed that Oihan Sancet has suffered a moderate muscle injury in the soleus of his left leg, a setback that will sideline him for approximately three weeks.

The Navarrese playmaker had already missed Wednesday's session, the first of the week after the international break. Medical tests carried out over the last few hours completed the diagnosis and established the expected recovery time.

• Sancet has a moderate muscle injury in his left soleus and will be out for around three weeks.
• Yuri Berchiche returned to group training after his Wednesday absence was put down to workload management.
• Álvaro Djaló is still missing from Lezama, worsening the lack of attacking options.
• Imga and Adrián Pérez, from Bilbao Athletic, remain with the first team and could make the squad for Vallecas.
• Nico Williams is also out after suffering a rectus femoris injury while playing for Spain.

What is at stake for Athletic at Vallecas

The Bilbao side return to LaLiga action on Saturday at 14.00 against Rayo Vallecano, traditionally a tough place to visit. With the table extremely tight in the race for European qualification, picking up points in Vallecas is vital to keep pace with direct rivals. Terzic will have to adjust his starting eleven with two key attacking pieces in the treatment room: Sancet and Nico Williams.

Injuries shape Athletic's starting lineup

Alongside Sancet's injury, Nico Williams remains on the sidelines after the moderate muscle problem in his rectus femoris sustained on March 29 during Spain's match against Croatia. The winger will not be available for the Madrid trip, leaving Terzic with limited options in the final third.

On the positive side, Yuri Berchiche has returned to group training. The left-back was absent from Wednesday's session purely as a precaution related to workload management and, barring any setbacks, should be ready for selection. The case of Álvaro Djaló is different: he continues to miss training and, so far, no medical report has been issued to explain his situation.

Internationals return with different workloads

Following the international window, Athletic's players have been gradually returning to action at Lezama with different levels of workload. Aymeric Laporte, who accumulated 270 minutes with Spain in the Nations League and played the full ninety in three of the national team's four matches, trained alone on the pitch, focusing on recovery and shaking off the fatigue.

Unai Simón and Canales, meanwhile, trained normally with the rest of the group. The Barrika-born goalkeeper was called up late to the Spain under-21 squad and played the final twenty minutes of Tuesday's match against Romania. That involvement did not stop him from joining the group session without issues.

Imga and Adrián Pérez as attacking alternatives

The growing list of absences in attack has kept two reserve-team players in first-team training. Imga and Adrián Pérez remain under Terzic's orders and are shaping up as genuine options for the trip to Vallecas. The coach must decide whether to trust them or reorganise his attacking line with senior players.

The presence of those two youngsters contrasts with the situation of Larrea, Monreal and Oyono, who have already returned to Bilbao Athletic. The reserve side host Real Unión at Lezama on Sunday in Primera RFEF and will have those three players available for selection again.

Athletic's schedule before travelling to Madrid

Squad will hold their final training session of the week on Friday ahead of the match. The session starts at 13.00 at Lezama and will give Terzic the chance to fine-tune his starting eleven. The coach is due to speak to the media before the session, a useful moment to clear up the uncertainty surrounding Imga and Adrián Pérez.

In the afternoon, the Athletic squad will travel to Madrid, where they will be based ahead of the match at Vallecas and have enough time to rest and work through the final tactical details.

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