Laporte drops out with illness as Athletic call up Djaló for Rayo trip

Athletic Club have confirmed a late blow to their squad: Laporte is ruled out of this Saturday’s match vs Rayo due to an indisposition. His spot on the Madrid trip goes to Djaló, while Berenguer remains in the squad.

The club did not provide further details on why Laporte is unavailable. Meanwhile, Terzic had planned to assess Djaló after the midday training session following a week where the player trained more than one day apart from the group due to a flu, and ultimately he was left out to make room for the youth player Imga—until Laporte’s withdrawal forced a reshuffle, as reported by MARCA.

Squad shake-up

Terzic did not consider replacing Laporte with central defenders from the B team. He will travel with three centre-backs: Vivian, Paredes and Yeray. The trip also includes Yuri and Rego, who usually play in other roles but are familiar with the position.