Barcelona wait on Yamal fitness as Flick weighs starting teenager at Valencia
Hansi Flick is hopeful Lamine Yamal will be fit to face Valencia on Sunday after the Barcelona star picked up a minor knock.
The 19-year-old did not train with the rest of the squad on Saturday, instead working individually at the training ground as Barcelona carefully manage his condition ahead of the trip to Mestalla.
Flick would not make a final call yet.
“We have to wait until tomorrow. I cannot say anything today,” the Barcelona coach told reporters. “We have to decide whether to rest him or start him. I will speak to him and we will decide together.”
He added: “Lamine is a player who loves to play football.”
The encouraging news for Barcelona is that Yamal will travel with the team. Flick said the winger completed his individual session without major concern and should be available if he responds well overnight.
“He trained separately and everything is fine. He will travel with us tomorrow,” Flick said. “He had a knock and felt pain, so we thought it was better for him to train alone. After training, he said everything was fine, so he will travel and hopefully be able to play tomorrow.”
Yamal’s potential availability is a major boost after his outstanding performance in Monday’s 5-2 win over Rayo Vallecano. The teenager scored his first 2 goals of the season and looked back to his most decisive form.
Barcelona can also take over outright at the top of LaLiga this weekend after Real Madrid slipped to a 1-0 defeat against Real Betis on Friday.
Flick, though, is not letting his team get distracted by their rivals’ setback.
“When you look back at yesterday’s match, you see that Real Madrid also played very well. They created many good chances,” he said. “This is football. Mistakes can always happen. For us, it is important to focus on ourselves.”
New signing Gabriel Jesus is expected to begin on the bench, while Raphinha is likely to continue as Barcelona’s central forward. The Brazilian has scored 5 goals in 3 matches despite playing outside his usual position.
“Right now, Raphinha is doing very well,” Flick explained. “He is the best option for us in that position at the moment.”
