Barcelona faces Atletico Madrid in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semifinals at Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys on Tuesday night. However, concerns have emerged as young winger Lamine Yamal missed the team’s training session on Monday.
Yamal, 17, left Barca’s 2-0 victory over Las Palmas on Saturday with a bleeding foot injury. The promising talent was undercut by a harsh tackle while delivering his 11th assist of the 2024-25 season.
Despite missing training, Yamal was observed working out in the gym. Barcelona coach Hansi Flick remains optimistic about his availability for the upcoming match against Atletico Madrid.
\"We'll have to wait and see, I think he'll be able to play. I'm positive, but we'll have to see what the doctor says,\" Flick told reporters. He also voiced his frustration over the foul that injured Yamal, emphasizing the need for fair play.
\"We can't say that Lamine or certain players should be specially protected, it should be for everyone. If they don't get yellow cards, hard fouls will be repeated,\" Flick added. He continued, \"We should protect them, I think that's the most sensible thing to do. Not just some special ones, but everyone. In Spain we all like to see one-on-one situations, to see those players who are capable of getting past the defenders, we have to protect them.\"
The Copa del Rey semifinal promises to be intense, with Barcelona hoping to leverage their strong performance from the early stages of the season, while Atletico Madrid aims to challenge them fiercely.
Reference(s):
Yamal misses Barca's training session before game with Atletico Madrid
cgtn.com
