We wanted to face Barcelona with ‘little genius’ Lamine Yamal present – Brest Coach

Stade Brestois head coach Eric Roy has expressed sadness at the inability of injured Lamine Yamal to feature in their Champions League match against FC Barcelona.

Yamal, who was born in Spain to a Moroccan father and an Equatoguinean mother, has been a key fixture for the Catalan club this season.

The 17-year-old’s absence has been felt deeply, as the team has struggled to secure victories since he suffered an injury before the November international break.

Speaking about the absence of Yamal for the upcoming clash against Barcelona at the Olympic Stadium on Tuesday, Eric Roy stated: “We see that since the injury of the little genius, there have been no victories. I wish he would play. We want to play against the best.

“He did us a lot of damage at the Euros against France. In Lamine’s place, they will play someone who will do as well or better than Lamine.

“Barça is once again an incredible team. It won’t be like Guardiola’s with Messi but they are on the right track.”

The Blaugrana will aim to bounce back from their recent setback against Celta Vigo by getting a big win against Brest and take a step closer to securing a top-8 spot in the league table of the new Champions League format.