Fredy Pérez returns to Comunicaciones training ahead of clásico against Municipal

Monday brought news that Comunicaciones badly needed. Fredy Pérez was back on the field at Estadio Cementos Progreso, diving right into full training with the squad, just a couple of days after missing the match against Antigua GFC due to a personal matter that forced him to request leave and sit out of the squad list.

The timing couldn't have been more difficult. Comunicaciones fell 2-0 to Antigua GFC on Saturday at Estadio Pensativo, a result that left the "cremas" in sixth place in the Torneo Apertura 2026 with just 7 points, the product of two wins, a draw and two losses through five matchdays. Fans have already started voicing their frustration with Marco Antonio Figueroa, the Chilean manager who built the roster for this season and who now feels the pressure of a fan base unaccustomed to seeing the club so far down the table.

Without Fredy Pérez between the posts, Arnold Barrios got the call, playing his first 90 minutes of the tournament, while Ángel Díaz sat on the bench as backup. Before that match, Pérez had been an undisputed starter in the previous four Apertura 2026 fixtures, so his absence broke a routine the coaching staff had kept intact.

Now, back to work at the club's zone 6 training grounds, the 31-year-old goalkeeper is fully available to Figueroa for Saturday's clásico against Municipal, set for 7:00 p.m. It's no small detail for Comunicaciones' goal: Pérez has logged 360 minutes on the field and has allowed just five goals in four matches, making him the second least scored upon goalkeeper in the tournament so far, trailing only Vander Cruz of Deportivo San Pedro, who has conceded four.

Another piece that could return

The goalkeeper spot isn't the only good news floating around the club. Agustín Vuletich, the Argentine forward who has yet to see action this Apertura due to injury, is also emerging as a possibility for Figueroa's starting eleven for the clásico, though there is still no official confirmation on his availability.

The recent history between the two clubs at Cementos Progreso favors the home side: the last time they met there, Comunicaciones won 1-0 with a goal from Wilson Pineda, in matchday nine of the Torneo Clausura 2026. Now, with Pérez back and the possibility of adding Vuletich, the team will look to repeat that formula in a clásico arriving at a moment when every point counts double.