Barcelona Delivers Shocking Verdict on Lamine Yamal's Injury Crisis
Lamine Yamal's non-appearance at training before Barcelona's Spanish Super Cup semifinal clash with Athletic Club "sparked concern", Spanish media outlets report, though it has been attributed to nothing more than a gastric illness.
The young sensation has encountered his first significant injury struggles during his developing professional career. Yamal became embroiled in a dispute between Barcelona and Spain's national squad during the fall, with Luis de la Fuente drawing criticism from Hansi Flick after the talented winger was fielded against Bulgaria and Turkey following pain-relief injections for his groin issue.
This troublesome condition, medically termed pubalgia, has sidelined Yamal for five Barcelona fixtures and Spain's previous two international gatherings. The 18-year-old has been healthy enough to participate in 715 of Barça's last 720 playing minutes, though questions about continuing this streak emerged this week.
Yamal was absent from the club's initial training session of the new year before rejoining the squad for Saturday's Catalan rivalry match against Espanyol. Nevertheless, the No. 10 was missing again on Tuesday, just one day prior to Barcelona's encounter with Athletic Club in the opening Spanish Super Cup semifinal in Saudi Arabia.
Instead of his groin ailment returning, Yamal has been battling a gastric virus, as reported by Mundo Deportivo. The general consensus suggests that the speedy youngster will be ready for selection against Athletic, despite being "debilitated" by this sickness.
Though not quite matching last season's exceptional standards and with his playful spontaneity seemingly diminishing in recent weeks, Yamal continues to be a dangerous offensive weapon for the Catalans.
He tops the squad in assists, attempts on goal, passes into the box and has executed more successful take-ons than any other player across Europe's premier five divisions. Flick will be anxious to have Yamal performing at peak level entering this compact tournament.
Hansi Flick Issues Barcelona Caution Before Trophy Campaign
Despite having Yamal available, Barcelona haven't always appeared completely dominant recently. Flick's team needed an outstanding individual performance from goalkeeper Joan García to claim victory against Espanyol over the weekend. As the German manager noted, they weren't at their peak during their win over Villarreal before the holiday period either.
"If we perform like we did on Saturday versus Espanyol, or as we did at Villarreal, it will be challenging to claim victory," Flick cautioned sternly before Wednesday's meeting with Athletic.
The 2025 Spanish Super Cup victory marked the first of three domestic honors that Barcelona captured last season. "The Super Cup offers the quickest route to silverware, and last year it provided us tremendous momentum," Flick reflected. "We aim to duplicate that achievement this year, but we face Spain's elite teams, and it will be demanding."
Barcelona have maintained a clean sheet for over seven hours of match time, yet Flick remains dissatisfied with the scoring opportunities his team has allowed. "We must strengthen our defensive play and become more unified as a unit," he complained. "We understand our tactical approach and recognize our assets, but we need to execute certain aspects better than in our previous two contests."