Cruzeiro’s Villalba injured, misses key clash with Corinthians | OneFootball

Cruzeiro confirmed this Friday (12th) that defender Lucas Villalba underwent tests on Thursday (11th), which identified a ligament injury in his left ankle. The diagnosis confirmed that the defender will need to follow a period of specific care to restore stability to the affected joint.

According to the club, the medical team has decided that the treatment will be conservative, with no need for surgical intervention, and has already begun in the club’s Health and Performance Department. The player will remain under continuous monitoring throughout the recovery process.

With the diagnosis confirmed, Villalba is officially out of the second leg of the Copa do Brasil semifinal against Corinthians. The defender’s absence is a significant blow to Cruzeiro’s defensive system, especially in such a decisive match.

The ankle issue occurred at the end of the first half of the first leg, after a challenge with Fabrício Bruno. The Argentine was treated on the pitch and even tried to continue, despite visibly struggling to put weight on his foot.

However, after the break, he was unable to continue and ended up being replaced by Jonathan Jesus, who is expected to remain as his substitute for Sunday.

In addition to Lucas Villalba, coach Leonardo Jardim will also be without midfielder Lucas Romero. The Argentine received his third yellow card and will also be absent.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.