Celta Vigo’s hopes of springing a surprise on Barcelona in the La Liga meeting between the clubs this weekend have been dealt a late blow.
This comes by way of confirmation that Rafael Benitez will be unable to call on a key member of his ranks for Saturday’s Balaídos showdown.
The player in question? Jonathan Bamba.
Midfielder Bamba, for his part, has spent the last two months away on international duty, with the Ivory Coast.
After the Elephants ultimately marched on to Africa Cup of Nations glory last weekend, the 27-year-old, in turn, was expected to return to base in Spain at some point this week.
With less than 24 hours to go before tomorrow’s meeting with Barca, however, Bamba remains nowhere to be seen.
Speaking to the media earlier today, boss Benitez pointed towards ‘flight problems’ as being behind the delay:
“He hasn’t arrived yet. We expected him to arrive, but there must be some flight problems,” the Spanish tactician explained.
As per a report from Estadio Deportivo, though, whatever the case, Celta will be unable to depend on a crucial member of the club’s midfield setup this weekend, amid their ongoing battle against the drop.
Conor Laird | GSFN
