Athletic face Levante with a shaky 9: Guruzeta and Canales in doubt

Athletic head into their visit to Levante’s Ciutat de València with uncertainty over their attacking options, especially the roles of their main centre-forward. As reported by Mundo Deportivo, Gorka Guruzeta is already out after picking up a muscular injury in the recent home match against Elche.

Multiple question marks up front

Iñaki Williams is another major doubt. The captain, according to Mundo Deportivo, was forced off injured during the Elche game after a knock in the play that led to Athletic’s late equaliser goal; he left the pitch limping. The training session at Lezama did not provide clarity on whether he will be fit.

Peio Canales is also not available for now. The manager had been expecting him to be back after missing the previous two league matches, but he did not join the main session. Mundo Deportivo quotes the coach saying that both “Guru” and Peio are working very hard in the gym and that the plan is to return to the grass at the start of the week, then assess whether it is too soon for the Wednesday match.

If they can’t go, who starts?

From what was seen at Lezama, Canales did individual work, but the report indicates the centre-forward and the attacking midfielder will have to wait before rejoining the team training. Vivian, meanwhile, is recovering gradually from a pubic issue and did some ball work.

Regarding Iñaki Williams, Mundo Deportivo notes that the club did not publish any medical bulletin. That means, despite him missing the group session alongside the other starters vs Elche, his participation is not ruled out. If he and Guruzeta are not ready, the outlet says the manager would likely turn to a new centre-forward from the bench or rotation—Maroan Sannadi is mentioned after he replaced Williams late on in the Elche match, with Berenguer or Djaló also possible depending on how the captain’s situation develops.