Hotshot striker Lucas Barrios has been dropped to the bench ahead of Montpellier Herault Sport Club’s Ligue 1 fixture against SC Bastia on Saturday evening.
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The forward was in action for Paraguay during the international break and returned to the South of France late.
Speaking in a pre-match press conference, as reported on the club’s official Twitter account, coach Rolland Courbis confirmed that Barrios would be dropped and Djamel Bakar will start the match.
“Lucas Barrios, who returned this evening from his international matches, will be on the bench,” Courbis confirmed, “Djamel Bakar will be starting.”
The news will come as a relief for Bastia. Barrios is one of the division’s in form forwards and has enjoyed a fine scoring run over recent weeks.
He has found the net four times in his last four matches in Ligue 1, and contributed eight goals in total since the middle of January, taking his season tally to 11 in 23 in all competitions for MHSC.
He has also contributed three assists as the Southerners have climbed to seventh place in the Ligue 1 standings.
Barrios previously featured for the likes of Colo-Colo, Atlas and, notably, Borussia Dortmund, before moving to Chinese side Guangzhou Evergrande in 2012. He returned to Europe with Spartak Moscow in 2013 before movint to Montpellier on loan at the beginning of the season.
He was, however, unable to find the net in MHSC’s last match—a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Evian Thonon Gaillard.