Celta’s La Liga meeting with Osasuna has been postponed after a problem affecting the playing surface made it impossible for the first-round fixture to take place on 16 August as originally scheduled.
The match will now be played on Thursday, 27 August, with the change announced after recent weather conditions hindered efforts to deal with the issue at Celta’s ground in Vigo.
Celta said La Liga inspected the pitch last week and approved the work being carried out to address the condition affecting the grass. However, the club said the weather in recent days had had a negative effect on the progress of that process.
As a result, the pitch was not ready for the fixture to go ahead on its planned date. The decision to rearrange the match means both sides will begin the campaign with their meeting delayed, rather than playing during the opening round of La Liga as scheduled.
The issue is understood to concern a disease affecting the turf. La Liga’s inspection had previously given approval for the measures being taken to resolve it, but the more recent weather prevented the work from advancing quickly enough.
Celta and Osasuna are therefore set to meet on 27 August, a Thursday, instead of 16 August. No other details about the rearranged fixture were provided.
The postponement follows an assessment of the playing surface and the impact of the conditions in the days since the inspection. Celta’s statement made clear that the delay was linked to the time needed for the pitch-repair process to develop sufficiently for the match to be staged.
La Liga had been due to open with the fixture between the Vigo club and Osasuna on 16 August. That plan has now been changed because of the condition of the grass, with the new date agreed for the two teams’ encounter.
The rearranged game will remain part of the opening round of the La Liga schedule, although it will take place almost two weeks after the original date. Celta and Osasuna will now prepare for their first meeting of the campaign on 27 August, after the pitch work has been given additional time to respond following the adverse weather.
The move means supporters and the clubs must adjust to a revised schedule, while the condition of the playing surface remains the central reason for the change.
