Athletic Club Bilbao striker Gorka Guruzeta has been ruled out for the remainder of the season after rupturing the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee, dealt a fresh blow to coach Edin Terzic as the Basque club prepares for Wednesday's rescheduled La Liga away fixture against Levante. The 30-year-old sustained the injury during Saturday's goalless draw at Valencia, compounding an already stretched attacking squad.

The Injury and Its Severity

Guruzeta suffered the ACL rupture in his left knee — notably, he had experienced a similar injury to his other leg back in 2019. Terzic revealed at Tuesday's pre-match press conference that the extent of the damage became apparent during the match itself. 'The doctor approached me during the match and told me it didn't look good,' the coach said. 'Guru had already suffered a similar injury in his other leg [in 2019], so he immediately felt that something was wrong,' he added. Terzic credited the striker's resilience, noting: 'His optimism is on another level. Our duty now is to support him so that when he is ready to return, he steps back into a highly successful team.'

A Deepening Attacking Crisis

Guruzeta's absence adds to a growing list of attacking casualties at San Mamés. Spain international winger Nico Williams and attacking midfielder Oihan Sancet were already sidelined prior to the Valencia draw. Terzic confirmed that Sancet would also miss Wednesday's contest against Levante, though Williams could potentially return — with the coach stressing the importance of making 'smart, long-term decisions' over injured players rather than rushing them back prematurely.

Three Draws, One Goal — Terzic Addresses the Slump

Athletic have drawn their last three La Liga matches consecutively, scoring just once across those fixtures. Terzic acknowledged the team's struggles in front of goal but urged patience. 'It's true that we are currently struggling to score, but our opponents also find it very difficult to score against us,' he said. The coach offered a candid assessment of the challenge ahead: 'Being more dangerous and clinical in the penalty area is a process; it isn't solved in a single training session. Today, we look for instant solutions to everything with technology, but we work with human beings, not automated response buttons. You can't just go to Google or ChatGPT for answers.'

The Levante Fixture: A Postponed Clash Finally Set to Go

Wednesday's match was originally scheduled for 16 September but was postponed after torrential rain flooded the pitch at Levante's Ciutat de Valencia Stadium. Athletic will now travel to face Levante without their first-choice striker and with a heavily depleted attack, making the fixture a stern examination of Terzic's squad depth and tactical flexibility.

Vivian's Return Offers a Rare Bright Spot

In what amounts to a rare piece of positive news for the club, defender Dani Vivian returned to full training last week following months of rehabilitation. The 27-year-old had been sidelined for the first seven games of the season with an adductor insertion injury that first emerged in January. The problem ultimately cost him a place in the squad for last summer's World Cup. Vivian admitted he had continued playing through the issue earlier in the year to help the club during a difficult run of results, before eventually undergoing the full rehabilitation programme.

With Guruzeta now facing months on the sidelines and Wednesday's rescheduled Levante trip looming, Athletic Bilbao's ability to rediscover their attacking bite will be among the most closely watched storylines in La Liga this autumn.