Lamine Yamal included in Barcelona squad for Valencia after injury scare

Hansi Flick has confirmed that Lamine Yamal is fit to travel with Barcelona for Sunday’s La Liga match at Valencia, despite reports in the Spanish media suggesting the forward could miss the game.

Yamal did not take part in Barcelona’s group training session on Saturday, raising doubts about his availability for the fourth-round fixture. While his available team-mates worked under Flick, the 18-year-old remained inside the gym.

However, Flick played down concerns over the Spain international’s condition when asked about him at his pre-match news conference.

“He went out to train late, but he is ready for tomorrow’s game,” said the Barcelona manager.

Flick explained that Yamal had completed individual work because he had suffered a knock and needed to reduce the intensity of his training session.

“He took a knock, and it was better for him to train at a lower intensity, but he is in perfect condition to play tomorrow,” he added, according to Spanish newspaper AS.

The German coach also confirmed that Yamal would make the journey to Valencia, although he stopped short of guaranteeing that the teenager would start.

“He will travel with us to Valencia. We will talk and decide whether he starts or not,” said Flick.

Flick said Yamal had been given a full 90 minutes in Barcelona’s first home match of the campaign and had performed particularly well in his most recent appearance. The manager added that the player was capable of managing his minutes if required.

“For me, it was important that he played 90 minutes in our first game at home, and in the last game he performed very well. He can manage his minutes,” Flick said.

The decision on Yamal’s role will be made before kick-off, but Flick’s comments mean he remains in contention to feature as Barcelona look to maintain their perfect start to the league season.

Barcelona can move outright top of the La Liga table with victory at Valencia, which would take their tally to 12 points. Real Madrid currently have nine points after suffering their first defeat of the season, losing 1-0 to Real Betis.

Yamal’s availability is therefore a boost for Barcelona as they seek to take advantage of Real Madrid’s setback. His absence from Saturday’s main training session had prompted uncertainty, but Flick’s assessment indicates that the knock is not expected to prevent him from being involved.

The match at Valencia will be Barcelona’s fourth league fixture of the season. Whether Yamal begins the game or is introduced later will depend on discussions between the player and coaching staff before the match.