Spain welcome back Yamal for ‘World Cup final’ against England

Spain manager Luis de la Fuente says Lamine Yamal will be available for Sunday’s decisive Nations League meeting with England after a week of medical checks, uncertainty and debate.

The Barcelona forward will rejoin the Spain squad on Saturday, having remained in Barcelona while receiving treatment for minor inflammation in his right knee. A magnetic resonance imaging scan showed inflammation and fluid in the joint, and the medical staff decided it was preferable for him to recover there rather than travel to Prague.

De la Fuente confirmed Yamal’s return after Spain beat Czechia 2-0, a result which maintained their perfect record of 15 points from 15.

“Lamine is in excellent condition and eager to join the camp tomorrow,” said De la Fuente. “He and Mikel Oyarzabal will arrive tomorrow, one at midday and the other shortly afterwards. Both will be with us.”

Yamal will train with the rest of the squad at 19:00 BST at Las Rozas, alongside Oyarzabal, who was also absent from the team that won in Prague.

De la Fuente said Yamal could have played against Czechia, but that the potential risk was not justified with the meeting with England approaching.

The 18-year-old’s delayed return had prompted some criticism, but De la Fuente rejected any suggestion that the player had received preferential treatment.

“Lamine has no special privileges,” he said. “He will complete two training sessions before the match.” The manager has already indicated that Yamal is likely to start against England.

Oyarzabal’s absence was unrelated to footballing considerations. De la Fuente said the Real Sociedad forward had delayed his arrival because he had become a father, while he had also missed the Prague match because of influenza.

Reflecting on Spain’s victory, De la Fuente said his side had been made to work hard by an attacking Czechia team that used its physical strength and threat from set-pieces.

“As we expected, we faced an attacking team that used its physical advantage and ability at set-pieces, creating pressure on our defence,” he said. “We missed chances that we do not usually miss, while they exploited weaknesses near their penalty area to launch counter-attacks.

“If we had taken some of our opportunities, the match would have been calmer. We did not relax until the score was 2-0.”

Alex Baena opened the scoring from the penalty spot before Marc Pubill added a second in the final minute of stoppage time.

Sunday’s match in Madrid will determine the group leaders, with De la Fuente describing the contest as an early final.

“Considering the level of both teams, we expected this match to be like a World Cup or European Championship final,” he said. “Either team can win. It is an opportunity to watch two of the best teams in the world. We want to maintain this momentum and winning run.”