Pépé misses weeks, leaves Villarreal winger-less in Champions League
The Ivorian winger Nicolas Pépé, sports journalist of Villarreal, has undergone a scheduled eye operation and will be out of action for approximately three weeks, which will prevent him from featuring in the club's next six matches, including the Champions League duels against Napoli and Liverpool.
The club announced through its official channels that the Ivorian international has undergone a scheduled eye operation. The initial forecast indicates about three weeks away from the pitch. The absence surprised because it had not been announced beforehand.
Pépé returned on Monday from the training camp with the Ivory Coast national team without apparent problems. Upon arriving at Villarreal he completed the latest sessions normally alongside the rest of the squad. No complications were observed after the trip.
Schedule and absence at the Bernabéu
The move to the operating theatre coincided with the week before the eighth round of LaLiga, preventing him from traveling to the Bernabéu for the match against Real Madrid on Saturday night. That fixture was left without his starting winger. The absence comes just before the decisive phase of the championship.
Impact on Villarreal's schedule
Between the Bernabéu and the expected return, Villarreal faces five commitments in three competitions, adding the Saturday match in Madrid to reach six games without the player. The workload includes league fixtures, the Copa del Rey and the Champions League group stage. The winger's absence will reduce the team's offensive options.
The two Champions League matches, against Napoli at home and against Liverpool at Anfield, are the ones that most affect qualification, as they represent two of the eight fixtures that allocate points in the league phase. Without Pépé, Villarreal will have to look for tactical alternatives to maintain its performance in Europe.
The coach has already rotated the starting eleven heavily since August, so he retains only three starters from the beginning of the season. This flexibility allows him to adapt the attack despite the loss of Pépé. Nevertheless, the absence of his main winger forces the redistribution of minutes among the available forwards.
If the recovery follows the expected timetable, Pépé could return on Friday, October 30 against Espanyol at La Cerámica. That comeback would leave him fit to take part in the next European fixture, the PSG visit to Villarreal on Tuesday, November 3, after a preparatory match.