Real Sociedad Hit by Double Injury Blow as Odriozola Surgery Confirmed
Real Sociedad face Mallorca this weekend without Álvaro Odriozola and Aihen Muñoz, while Iñaki Rupérez's recovery hits a worrying complication.
Real Sociedad’s injury list is making grim reading right now, with the club confirming a string of fitness updates on Thursday evening that will have Imanol sweating ahead of Saturday’s trip to Mallorca.
Odriozola Goes Under the Knife
The big one: Álvaro Odriozola is set to have surgery on his ruptured anterior cruciate ligament next Tuesday. The right-back did his left knee last Saturday, and the club confirmed he’ll be operated on at the Clínica Olympia Quirónsalud by Dr Manuel Leyes.
He’d already been into Zubieta on Thursday for pre-operative treatment, so this was coming. ACL surgery typically means months on the sidelines — this is a proper blow for a player who’s been a reliable presence in the squad. Write him off for the rest of the season at the very least.
Aihen Out for Mallorca, Fate for Wednesday Unclear
As if that wasn’t enough, Aihen Muñoz is also unavailable for the weekend. The left-back has picked up discomfort in the right gluteus medius tendon — one of those annoying muscular niggles that you can’t rush. The club are expecting a relatively quick recovery, but he’s definitely not travelling to Mallorca on Saturday.
Whether he makes it back for the midweek fixture is the question. Could go either way, to be honest.
Rupérez’s Nightmare Season Continues
Perhaps the most gutting update in the whole bulletin concerns Iñaki Rupérez. The Navarrese defender has been out since injuring his external meniscus on 9 August — that’s nearly seven months ago now. After three months of conservative treatment, he went under the knife in late November, and since then things have got even worse: he’s picked up a post-surgical infection acquired in the operating theatre.
That’s a proper nightmare scenario. His rehabilitation is now progressing slower than expected, and there’s no clear timeline for his return. What makes it even harder to stomach is the context:
- Rupérez had a brilliant pre-season
- He was reportedly pushing to start alongside Sergio in central defence
- The season looked genuinely exciting for him heading in
Instead, he’s barely kicked a ball all campaign. Horrible luck for the lad.
Kubo Watch
On a slightly brighter note, Take Kubo trained individually with the ball on Thursday. There’s no official update from the club on his situation, but the fact he’s back out on the grass touching a ball is at least something to keep an eye on. Whether he’s anywhere near match fitness for the coming days remains to be seen.
All in all, Real Sociedad are navigating a proper injury crisis at a crucial stage of the season. Mallorca away on Saturday is no easy fixture at the best of times — doing it without Odriozola and Aihen makes the full-back positions a real headache for Imanol to sort out.