Athletic face 28‑day drought then five games in fifteen days

El Athletic will go 28 days without an official match between the September derby against Deportivo Alavés and the visit to Mestalla on Saturday 17 October, before tackling five fixtures in just 15 days.

Compressed calendar after postponed games

The club’s schedule arrives unbalanced at the most demanding phase of autumn. The Levante‑Athletic clash originally set for 16 September was postponed by a storm that flooded the Ciutat de València minutes before kickoff and has been rescheduled for 21 October. A match in Vallecas on 10 October was halted before the half‑hour mark after a fan protest, leaving its remaining minutes to be decided later.

Consequently, the only official minutes between the Alavés derby and the Mestalla visit are the brief Vallecas spell. The first two commitments, both in the same city – Mestalla and the Ciutat de València – are four days apart, followed by three games in eight days, and finally the derby with Real Sociedad with just three days after a cup tie.

Injury woes compound the squeeze

The squad’s medical list is heavy. Oihan Sancet, who has featured in 515 of the 540 league minutes, will miss up to four weeks with a soleus injury announced on 8 October, covering the entire sequence. Nico Williams is also out for at least the next two league matches. Their absences, together with Djaló’s, forced Edin Terzić to call up Lezama winger Christian Imga for the Vallecas fixture.

Rotations are no longer optional; they have become mandatory as the coach’s bench depth is limited. The final match of the run, at home against Real Sociedad, is the most crucial and arrives with the least recovery time.

Overall, the congested timetable will test Athletic’s ability to maintain performance levels while coping with a reduced squad, highlighting the impact of a calendar that first left the team idle and now forces play without pause.