Ernesto Valverde rules out Iñaki Williams for the first leg of the European pre-match to be played by Athletic Club on the 30th following a muscle injury suffered today by the Bilbao forward in the friendly against the Xolos de Tijuana played in Boise (United States).

"We believe he has a muscle tear. I'm not a doctor but I imagine he won't make it to the first game," said Valverde after the match at Albertsons Stadium, played in front of about 21,500 fans, many of them descendants of Basque residents in North America.

The medical report issued by the red-and-white club has specified that Williams has a "muscle injury in the hamstring of his left leg" which will be further evaluated after the tests that the player will undergo upon his return to Bilbao tomorrow, Monday, at noon.

Valverde has emphasized that "aside from the injury, everything has been perfect" for the forward on this trip to the United States organized by the Boise Basque Center in the days leading up to Jaialdi 2015, the major event for Basque culture that brings together descendants of Basques who emigrated to North America every five years.

"It's hard to imagine from Bilbao that we would find this support for our team so far away, it's difficult to explain. This match was a great event for everyone here and except for Williams' injury, everything has gone very well. We are delighted," said the coach.

In terms of sports, Valverde has stated that although there will be "some definite changes," he has already "set the direction" for the starting eleven for that first leg of the Europa League pre-match that will pit them against either the Icelandic Hafnarfjordur or the Azerbaijani Inter Baku, and therefore will be very similar to the one he fielded in Boise.

The initial team has been made up of Iraizoz; De Marcos, Gurpegui, Etxeita, Balenziaga; Iturraspe, Beñat, Eraso; Susaeta, Williams, and Aduriz.

"We still have two more matches next week - against Betis and Valladolid - and what worries me the most is not having injured players because losing a player like Williams is a significant problem. For now, ten days away from that match, we're where we need to be," he explained.