Sevilla’s Dutch central Karim Rekik suffers a “muscle injury” that, in principle, he will have “a time away from the playing fields”, said his coach, Julen Lopetegui, after the 3-1 victory in the first leg of the ‘play-off’ prior to the round of 16 of the League Europe against Dinamo Zagreb.
“Rekik seems to have an acute, muscular injury, he doesn’t look good and it seems that he may be away from the pitch for a while,” the Sevilla coach predicted at a press conference, indicating that his loss joins others in the staff “in a very difficult year” in this matter.
He stated, however, that they have to “get back together and face all these circumstances”. “We can’t stop to mourn (for injuries), but go ahead and compete, that’s what we have done and what we will continue to do,” he added.
Lopetegui welcomed, on the other hand, the reappearance of the captain and right back, Jesús Navas, after three and a half months injured, as he is “an important player” and the one they need, and specified that now “he has to recover the best sensations” after a “complex” ailment that requires “that time, those minutes”.
He also pointed out that two defenders, Brazilian Diego Carlos Santos and Frenchman Jules Koundé, and French striker Anthony Martial, ended the match against the Croats with various problems.
In the case of the Brazilian center-back, Diego Carlos declared that he has “nothing serious” despite the fact that he collapsed on the last play of the match suffering from a muscular problem, since he felt a puncture.
“I had a little scare at the end, but nothing serious,” commented Diego Carlos in the mixed zone, who also stressed that this first duel against Dinamo Zagreb was “a very complete game”, in which they were “very concentrated” showing that the team “is getting better every day”, because “the players want the ball and look for the goal”.