Garcés tears his ACL just weeks away from returning

Deportivo Alavés

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Facundo Garcés
250.000€+20.000€ -

J4

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J3

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J2

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J1

DF

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The Argentine defender picked up the injury during a training session in Ibaia, and subsequent tests confirmed the seriousness of the problem. The Deportivo Alavés has announced that Garcés will undergo surgery in the coming days, without, for now, setting a specific recovery timeline.

The schedule will be determined by how he progresses after the operation. Given the type of injury, the centre-back could miss a large part of the 2026/27 season and even practically the entire campaign, although the club has not set any date for his return.

Garcés was on the verge of serving his ban

The timing of the injury makes the blow even harder for the player. Garcés still had not been able to play a single official minute this season, but he was already heading into the final stretch of the suspension that prevented him from competing, and he was expecting to be available again at the start of November.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (TAS) confirmed on March 5, 2026 a 12-month ineligibility for the use of falsified documentation during his naturalization process with the Malaysia national team. The ban began in September 2025 and, due to an interruption during its enforcement, it ends next November 5.

His return to competition will now have to wait much longer than expected. The priority for the defender is now the operation and a subsequent rehabilitation process that is expected to be lengthy.

The injury also adds to Quique Sánchez Flores' problems. Just a few days earlier, Mikel Rodríguez also suffered a rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee during a training session, meaning Alavés has taken two serious blows in a very short space of time.

All of this comes after an outstanding start to the campaign. The team from Mendizorroza are coming off a 5-2 win over Osasuna and have recorded their best-ever opening in LaLiga thanks to three victories and a draw in the first four matchdays.

The next game at Mendizorroza will be, precisely, against Valencia CF, whose coach Carlos Corberán will face before this Friday's visit to Sevilla FC at the Sánchez Pizjuán. In the meantime, Alavés has not set any dates for Garcés, and any estimate of his return will depend on the outcome of the operation and his subsequent progress.