Raul Albiol to miss several games, Villarreal’s head coach confirms

Raul Albiol is reported to miss Villareal’s nearest league game against Granada due to a muscle problem and has been absent from the latest team training. The senior defender has played a huge role in the Yellow Submarine’s performance this season so far, taking part in 25 matches, 21 of them were La Liga.

Raul Albiol to miss LaLiga games

Villareal have just returned from Basque last week, beating Real Sociedad 3-1 where Albiol played the whole game. The former Napoli star picked a yellow card but managed to lead his team to victory. This weekend, they are scheduled to host Granada at Estadio de la Ceramica tomorrow. 


Also Read: Villarreal vs Granada Prediction and Betting Tips | La Liga

With moving forward with Raul Albiol Injury Update, Villarreal’s head coach Marcelona Garcia Toral, spoke to the media ahead of the Sunday clash in a press conference. He said that Albiol would miss several matches but there will be no more injury additions at the moment.

“Raúl will be out,” said Toral according to the club’s official statement. “He has a muscular problem that will keep him out of the competition for several matchdays. We don’t think he will be able to play until after the break. 

“The rest of the squad is the same as before. There are no more absentees and no more additions to the group. The long-term injured players are progressing well, but they still have a few weeks ahead of them.”

Albiol’s absence would be a significant loss for Villareal who are fighting for a mid-table position. Toral also emphasised a concerning situation in the defensive area of his team, saying that it was important to stay alert in the back to avoid more concedes.

“Goals are what define games and give us confidence,” he added. “We are one of the teams that score the most goals in the competition. We don’t have any problems there. We can be more or less accurate on a particular day, but what worried us was the goals conceded. 

We are the team with the third-highest number of goals conceded in the division. That was the focus of our attention. Since the Las Palmas game, we’ve been conceding a lot and conceding very few. We have reversed the previous logic. We have to be able to maintain that because it will make us competitive and we will get more victories.”

Albiol is a role model for his teammates including young players. AC Milan’s Matteo Gabbia, who spent the first half of this season with Villarreal, testified of how good a player Albiol was when the two spent time together last year. 

“Raul is one of those guys who really helped me at Villarreal,” Gabbia admitted to Football Italia. “He speaks Italian, so in the beginning, it was easier. He is a very nice guy, I am on good terms with him. He also contributed to my improvement.”