Ill Oyarzabal left out before the international break

Oyarzabal is ill and has been left out of Real Sociedad’s squad just hours before he was due to join his national team. Suffering from tonsillitis, he will miss this afternoon’s home match against Rayo Vallecano, immediately before the international break. His absence comes alongside changes to the team for a fixture that closes an eight-match cycle.

Real Sociedad go into the game hoping to finish this stretch on a positive note. The team has made progress over the course of those eight matches and now wants to bring that chapter to a close before the international pause. The meeting with Rayo is therefore the side’s final chance to extend that momentum before the interruption. But the opponent is expected to pose a serious challenge to Pellegrino Matarazzo’s team.

The coach has made seven changes to his starting eleven. Oyarzabal is out because of his illness, while Guedes has also been rested. Sucic and Take come into the starting side. Those choices shape the team for a game immediately ahead of the break, while Oyarzabal’s absence is specifically due to tonsillitis.

The national-team picture also involves Barrenetxea, one of Real Sociedad’s important players, who has been called up internationally. Oyarzabal, by contrast, is unable to join his national team as planned, with only hours to go before his departure. Real Sociedad must therefore play its final match before the pause without him, while aiming to complete the eight-game cycle in the best possible way.

Rayo, meanwhile, is described as a side that has endured difficulties but has also managed to survive them. The fixture will also bring Beñat San José and Rayo together. Real Sociedad’s immediate task is to turn the progress made during this run into a positive finish before the schedule breaks. The seven changes to the starting eleven and Oyarzabal’s illness give this final outing before the break a different shape, but not a different stated objective: to end the cycle on a positive note.