Marcao (undisclosed) was forced off midway through the first half of Friday's Antonio Puerta Trophy friendly against Aston Villa with a possible muscular injury, visibly devastated as teammates and coach Luis Plaza encouraged him from the sidelines, according to Estadio Deportivo.
Analysis:Marcao was making his first start since December 2025, pairing with Andres Castrin in central defense and had defended well against crosses from Emiliano Buendia and Alejandro Garnacho before the setback forced Juan Iglesias on in his place. The Brazilian has now spent 589 days sidelined since joining Sevilla in July 2022, having battled over a dozen different medical issues including a scaphoid fracture and a hip flexor tear, and has managed just 49 official appearances in four and a half years with the club, with this latest blow pushing his absence closer to two full years.
