Barcelona’s Mestalla test comes with welcome boost for Yamal and Gabriel Jesus

Barcelona can move clear at the top of La Liga with a fourth consecutive victory when they visit Valencia at Mestalla on Sunday, with manager Hansi Flick receiving encouraging news over Lamine Yamal’s availability and the return of Gabriel Jesus to the squad.

Flick’s side have taken nine points from their opening three league matches and will be looking to take advantage of Real Madrid’s 1-0 defeat by Real Betis. Victory in Valencia would give Barcelona a perfect start to the campaign and send them clear of their main rivals at this early stage of the season.

Barcelona’s squad is close to full strength for the difficult fourth-round fixture. Frenkie de Jong and Roony Bardghji are the notable absentees, while Yamal has been included despite not training with the rest of the group during the final session before the match.

Flick named 24 players for the trip, meaning one member of the travelling party will have to be left out before kick-off. The squad is:

Joan Garcia, Joao Cancelo, Dlu, Farinas, Al-Kubaryoun, Gavi, Fermin Lopez, Pedri, Gabriel Jesus, Lamine Yamal, Raphinha, Espart, Wojciech Szczesny, Karim Adeyemi, Andreas Christensen, Rodri, Gordon, Gerard Martin, Dani Olmo, Bernal, Jules Kounde, Eric Garcia, Dominik Livakovic and Hamza.

The selection also marks the return of Gavi, who has recovered from the knee knock suffered during his first league appearance of the season against Elche. The injury initially caused concern within the club, although subsequent assessments confirmed that it was not serious.

Gabriel Jesus and Livakovic have both been named in the squad for the first time since joining Barcelona. The Brazilian forward has completed his training programme with the first team under Flick and is now in contention for a place against Valencia.

Livakovic, meanwhile, has been included as an alternative to goalkeeper Joan Garcia. Flick will decide the final matchday selection after reducing the squad by one player.

The inclusion of Yamal is the main positive development for Barcelona before a fixture that is expected to provide a demanding test. His absence from the last group training session had raised questions over his condition, but the forward has been cleared to travel and remains part of Flick’s plans.

Barcelona will therefore arrive at Mestalla with the opportunity to strengthen their position at the summit. Their challenge is to maintain the winning run while dealing with the uncertainty surrounding the final squad decision and the need to manage players returning from injury or completing their integration into the team.