Lamine Yamal doubtful for Valencia match as injury issue revealed

Barcelona could be without Lamine Yamal for Sunday’s La Liga fixture against Valencia at the Estadi Johan Cruyff, as it has been revealed that the 18-year-old winger is struggling with an injury.

During the international break, Lamine Yamal picked up a back injury during Spain’s victory over Bulgaria, although it was not deemed to be much of an issue. He was able to play days later in the rout of Türkiye, and this would have led Barcelona officials to hope that the matter was resolved.

However, this may not be the case, as Marca have reported that Lamine Yamal was not involved during Barcelona’s training session on Saturday. It is unclear whether it is his back that is causing the issue, as it is simply stated that the teenager is suffering with “physical problems”.

The news with Lamine Yamal comes at a terrible time for Barcelona, who have already been struck with injury woes in the last week. Alejandro Balde and Gavi are both set for spells on the sidelines, and they could now be joined by their compatriot.

It may well be that Barcelona choose to rest Lamine Yamal against Valencia, with a view to Thursday’s Champions League opener against Newcastle United at St James’ Park. If this is the case, there would be two clear favourites to replace him in Hansi Flick’s starting line-up on Sunday: Raphinha and Ferran Torres.

Neither player has played much on the right wing in the last 12 months, but both consider it to be a natural position. And if one were to play there against Valencia, it would almost certainly mean that Marcus Rashford or Robert Lewandowski respectively would return to the XI. Furthermore, summer signing Roony Bardghji is also an option, although he may not be risked from the start due to a lack of minutes in recent weeks.