Javi López free to face Real Sociedad at Anoeta with no fear clause | OneFootball

Javi López is set for a notable return to Anoeta on Saturday, and the Real Oviedo loanee is eligible to face parent club Real Sociedad.

According to Diario Vasco, his loan contains no fear clause, mirroring the recent case of Jon Pacheco. Oviedo are bottom on 16 points, nine behind Rayo Vallecano, the final side above the line, so they need a win in Donostia to keep hopes of avoiding relegation to Liga Hypermotion alive.

It has been a stop-start campaign for López, who has alternated starts with spells out of the side amid competition from Rahim. Three head coaches so far have not helped his rhythm. He has 11 appearances and 718 minutes.

Veljko Paunovic, who led promotion, used him only once. Luis Carrión then made him a regular, but poor results saw the board replace him with Guillermo Almada.

López has started the last three matches, playing 90 minutes in each while Rahim recovered from a muscle injury. Rahim is available again and could return, so López is not certain to start at Anoeta.

Real Sociedad signed López last summer from Deportivo Alavés for 6.5 million euros plus 0.5 in add-ons, on a contract to 2030. He left on loan after a poor year in Donostia, having been close to a 6 million move to Betis that Jokin Aperribay had lined up. Betis could not move on Ricardo Rodríguez, the Swiss left-back, and the deal collapsed. What López can offer on his return remains to be seen.

Source: Diario Vasco