Iñigo Ruiz de Galarreta picked up an injury during Athletic Club's win over Getafe. The midfielder was substituted in the 18th minute of Sunday's match at San Mamés due to a moderate issue with the hamstring in his right leg.
The club's medical report, issued on Tuesday, confirms the muscular complaint and states his condition is pending further evaluation. The 33-year-old requested the change after feeling discomfort during the first half. Beñat Gerenabarrena replaced him in the centre of the pitch.
Match context
The absence of the experienced midfielder comes on the back of an emphatic 4-0 victory that brought cheer back to San Mamés. Ernesto Valverde's side had suffered two consecutive defeats prior to this win, which keeps them in eighth place in La Liga with 12 points, having recorded three wins, three draws and three losses from their nine games. Álex Berenguer, who opened the scoring in the 17th minute, was instrumental in the rout, also providing three assists for the goals scored by Iñaki Williams, Aitor Paredes and Yuri Berchiche. This positive result follows a run of five matches with a record of one win, two draws and two losses, including the 3-1 defeat to Levante on Saturday 21 October, where Berenguer scored a penalty.
Galarreta's injury adds to other significant absences in the squad. Striker Gorka Guruzeta, playmaker Oihan Sancet and defender Aymeric Laporte were already on the unavailable list. This situation will force the coaching staff to reshuffle the midfield for the next fixture.
Next challenge
Athletic travel this Wednesday to face Prat at their ground. The match, corresponding to matchday 10, represents a chance to build on the positive momentum from the big win. The team is looking for its second victory in the last five games, in a phase of the season where consistency will be key to challenging for European places, currently sitting 15 points behind leaders Barcelona. With 12 goals scored and 9 conceded, the team needs to maintain the effectiveness shown against Getafe.
Galarreta was the seventh most-used player by the club last campaign, making his experience in building play a valuable asset. The medical report will determine in the coming hours whether he will be available for the clash against Prat on Thursday 29 October or if he will begin a recovery period.
The report in full is at athletic-club.eus
