Barcelona forward Lamine Yamal will make his return in Sunday’s clash against Real Sociedad after being sidelined for four games with a groin injury, manager Hansi Flick confirmed.
The 18-year-old Spaniard made headlines earlier this week when he became the first player to win the Kopa Trophy awarded to the world’s best Under-21 footballer in back-to-back years at the Ballon d’Or ceremony.
“Whether Lamine is on the bench or starting, the team is ready. Lamine will definitely get some minutes tomorrow,” Flick told reporters on Saturday.
Barcelona continue to grapple with injury setbacks. Forward Raphinha is out for around three weeks with a hamstring problem, while goalkeeper Joan Garcia and midfielder Gavi remain sidelined. Close-season signing Garcia, 24, had started every game this season before his setback.
With first-choice keeper Marc-André ter Stegen still recovering from back surgery, Wojciech Szczęsny will continue in goal. Flick expressed confidence in the Polish international:
“It’s not good to have Joan Garcia absent, he was performing well. But when we look at the second half of last season, we see that we won almost every match with Szczęsny. We won three titles with him. He’s a great goalkeeper, a great person, and I have no doubts about him.”
Flick added that the club is working to understand the recent spate of injuries: “We are a big team, we review all cases and we have to adapt to this.”
Defending champions Barcelona remain unbeaten in LaLiga this season. Their opponents, Real Sociedad, have struggled for form, with just one win in six league outings before Wednesday’s narrow 1-0 victory over Mallorca.
