Benfica stranded in Amsterdam but expect to return in time for Clássico against FC Porto

Benfica's preparations for Sunday's Clássico against FC Porto have taken a major hit after the team was left stranded in Amsterdam following the cancellation of a scheduled flight on Thursday morning. A BOLA has confirmed the travel party's delay, with a solution now secured: a flight booked for late Friday evening, scheduled to land in Lisbon at 23:00. The club explored quicker alternatives, but this proved to be the only viable option. 

Nevertheless, the arrangement is finally set to bring the squad back home. Ainars Bagatskis' side will then take to the court for a training session on Saturday morning before travelling to Porto in the afternoon.

The Eagles were left stuck in the Dutch capital following their 91-81 victory over Bakken Bears in Denmark on Wednesday. However, their victorious start to the FIBA Europe Cup campaign was soured by travel disruption, cutting into vital preparation time for Sunday's 15:00 tip-off against FC Porto.

Speaking to the club's official media channels, the Latvian head coach reflected on the difficulties faced. "Naturally, our plan was to hold a recovery session, train on Saturday and then head to Porto. Now, everything has changed. As you know, we've been stuck in Amsterdam for 30 hours," he said.

As a result, hotel accommodation was arranged for the squad to stay overnight and begin preparations for the clash with the Dragons through "recovery work and video analysis," Bagatskis added.