Barcelona manager Hansi Flick has indicated that Lamine Yamal could be left among the substitutes for Sunday’s La Liga match away to Valencia.
The 19-year-old forward missed Barcelona’s latest training session, raising a question over whether he will be involved from the start when Flick’s side play at Mestalla on 6 September.
Barcelona’s meeting with Valencia is scheduled to begin at 17:15 Moscow time. Flick was asked whether Yamal would feature in the match and suggested that the Spain international may not be named in the starting XI.
Yamal has made three appearances in La Liga so far this season and has scored twice. His possible omission would therefore be a notable selection decision for Flick, although the available information does not confirm whether the player’s absence from training was linked to an injury or another issue.
Barcelona have not yet confirmed Yamal’s role for the fourth-round fixture. The final decision will determine whether he starts, comes on from the bench or is left out of the matchday plans altogether.
For now, Flick’s comments have left open the possibility that Yamal will begin the game as a substitute rather than in Barcelona’s starting line-up. The club’s preparations for the Valencia match have therefore included uncertainty over one of their most productive players at the beginning of the campaign.
The fixture is Barcelona’s next league assignment before their Champions League campaign begins. On 9 September, Flick’s team will open their European campaign at home against Feyenoord.
That match follows only three days after the trip to Valencia, giving Barcelona another important fixture immediately after their fourth-round league game. The club must first focus on Sunday’s contest, however, with Yamal’s availability and starting position among the main points of interest before kick-off.
Yamal’s record of two goals in three league appearances means he has already made an impact this season. Even so, Flick is considering whether to use him from the outset against Valencia, with the Barcelona manager having publicly acknowledged that a place on the bench is possible.
The match will be played away from home at Valencia, while Barcelona will return to domestic action before hosting Feyenoord in the Champions League on 9 September. The two fixtures will come in quick succession, with Flick’s selection for the Valencia game now under scrutiny following Yamal’s missed training session and the manager’s response to questions about his involvement.