Pablo Sabbag: the truth about his injury and how Alianza would play the classic against the ‘U’

Of course, the concern increases because the injured ankle is the left one, the same one he suffered last year and which kept him out for three months.

The blow would have occurred in the duel between Syria and Iran for the round of 16 of the Asia Cup. At 60 minutes of play, with the score 1-0 up for the Iranians, Pablo was fouled hard in the area: the goalkeeper came out to cut off a pass for the forward, but he arrived late and practically ironed his left ankle. . Syria momentarily tied (they would later be eliminated on penalties), but Sabbag ended up in a lot of pain.

Beyond the fact that Alianza will receive compensation from FIFA, the sports area cannot hide its dismay at the bad luck surrounding the ‘Sheikh’ during his stay in an intimate store. He was the ‘9’ chosen to be a starter, but now it is not known how long he will be out. Of course, the certainty is that he will not play this Saturday’s classic against the U at the Nacional.

How would Alianza Lima play against Universitario?

The absence of Pablo Sabbag hurts, but it does not complicate things. Even though he was considered the starting forward for this season, coach Alejandro Restrepo did not work much with him. The ‘Sheikh’ joined the intimate preseason on December 12 and left for Syria on January 1. He did not play any friendly matches under the coach.

In that sense, it is almost a certainty that Alianza Lima will face the classic almost without variations, unless the coach comes up with a last-minute change.

The only change that would occur would be the return of Adrian Arregui. The Argentine missed the match in Sullana due to expulsion, but will return to be the owner of the midfield. Before him will be Catriel Cabellos and the Uruguayan Sebastián Rodríguez. Of course, the ’10’ is expected to play a little further forward, close to the attackers, in the area where the best version of him can be seen.

On the sides, Jhamir D’Arrigo seems to have won the position over Ricardo Lagos. The left winger entered against Sullana and provided an assist. On the other hand, Kevin Serna He is essential, although much more is expected of him based on what he showed last year in ADT and in this season’s friendlies.

The line of three will remain the same: Ramos, Fuentes and Freytes. The three Alianza towers have shown a lot of confidence in defending (the intimates have had shots on goal twice in 180 minutes, a notable statistic). And Franco Saravia will continue in goal, while Angelo Campos continues to serve his four-game ban (he has two left).