Barcelona coach Hansi Flick sheds light on Lamine Yamal’s injury status ahead of UCL debut

Ahead of the UEFA Champions League debut against Newcastle United, FC Barcelona head coach Hansi Flick delivered an injury update on Lamine Yamal.

Lamine Yamal has found himself at the center of controversy after returning from international duty with Spain carrying an injury — a major blow for FC Barcelona as they prepare to open their 2025–26 UEFA Champions League campaign. Ahead of the debut clash with Newcastle United, head coach Hansi Flick addressed the forward’s status.

Before the Valencia match, Flick revealed that Yamal would be unavailable due to pubic discomfort suffered with Spain, who reportedly gave him painkillers to play through it. The decision sparked frustration within Barcelona, particularly from Flick, who criticized the national team’s handling of the teenager.

At Wednesday’s press conference, Flick was asked how he planned to cope with Yamal’s absence, and he downplayed concerns: “For me, it’s always good to speak about the players you have in your team. We know that Lamine is not playing today, maybe not on Sunday, we don’t know that, we have to wait. But in the end we have a strong team, also in his position.”

The German boss also pointed to summer signing Marcus Rashford as a valuable option in attack. “We have Marcus Rashford in our team, and that’s great, because if someone up front can’t play, he can. He showed that in the last game, and I hope he can deliver the same performance in England,” Flick added.

Pressed on a possible return date, Flick admitted Barcelona’s medical staff had yet to set one. “I don’t know yet, and I don’t think it’s good to put pressure on the situation. We have a fantastic medical staff who care about him, and the coaches work with him, but we’ll see how fast his recovery goes.”

“If he comes back, he has to be 100 percent back — not just 80. He’s still a young player, and we have to take care of him,” Flick concluded. Newcastle coach Eddie Howe also voiced disappointment over Yamal’s absence, leaving Barca to tackle their UCL opener without one of their brightest young stars.

Barcelona missing more key pieces

Even without Yamal, Barca cruised to a 6–0 win over Valencia, with Fermín López, Raphinha, and Robert Lewandowski all scoring twice. But Newcastle will be a far tougher test, and Flick will be without two other important players.

Alejandro Balde remains sidelined after suffering a minor hamstring injury in his left leg earlier this month, while Gavi continues to deal with discomfort in his right knee, the same knee in which he tore his ACL back in 2023.