Euskal Selekzioa has been forced into a late reshuffle before next Saturday's friendly against Venezuela at San Mamés. Dani Vivian, Hugo Rincón and Aitor Fernández were withdrawn at the last minute because of injuries or ailments, and Arrasate has replaced them with Hugo Rincón, Aitor Fernández and three new call-ups in Beñat Prados, Andoni Gorosabel and Unai Marrero.
Late withdrawals and replacements
The Basque Football Federation said it was acting while “prioritizing at all times the health and well-being of the players and avoiding taking unnecessary risks.” Estadio Deportivo also reported that the absences were tied to different medical and physical condition circumstances.
The size of the setback is not huge in numerical terms, but it does take out players who have been part of the rotation. Vivian has played 270 league minutes this season, while Rincón has made 7 league appearances and Fernández has 6. The 22-man squad now needs to get through two training sessions before the match, with work starting on Thursday at 17:30 at Athletic's facilities in Lezama and continuing on Friday at 11:30 behind closed doors in San Juan de Luz.
What Arrasate has left before Saturday
The new group now carries on to the Venezuela fixture with three enforced changes already made. The federation has framed the decision around caution rather than escalation, and the revised squad will be put through its final sessions before the game in Bilbao.
The friendly against Venezuela is set for next Saturday at San Mamés at 20:00, and the latest update leaves Arrasate with a smaller group and a different balance for those sessions.
Written by Sam Whitfield with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →
