By Wale Mustapha
Lazio head coach Marco Baroni has provided an update on the recovery of Nigerian midfielder Fisayo Dele-Bashiru, revealing that the player is still not fully recovered from his recent ankle injury.
Dele-Bashiru sustained the injury during Lazio’s goalless draw against Venezia last month and has missed the last three matches for the Biancocelesti.
However, he made a return to the squad, being named on the bench for their 1-1 draw against Udinese on Monday.
With Lazio set to host Viktoria Plzen in the second leg of their UEFA Europa League Round of 16 tie at the Stadio Olimpico on Thursday, Baroni confirmed that Dele-Bashiru is still dealing with discomfort in his ankle but could feature in the upcoming match.
“Dele still has a bit of discomfort, I have to talk to him too because I want him to be calm when he gets on the pitch. He still has some pain in his ankle,” Baroni said on the club’s official website.
Lazio go into the second leg with a 2-1 advantage and will be hoping to secure qualification to the quarterfinals of the competition.
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. He began his career at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.
