(Reuters) – Barcelona forward Lamine Yamal has recovered from the muscle strain he sustained during international duty with Spain and is fit to feature in Sunday’s home match against Sevilla in LaLiga, Barca coach Hansi Flick said.
The 17-year-old endured several tackles from the Denmark side and was seen limping back to the team bus after Spain’s 1-0 in the Nations League last weekend. Yamal was subsequently withdrawn from the Spain squad to avoid any risk of injury and missed Tuesday’s 3-0 win over Serbia.
“We can have the best eleven against Sevilla. Yamal can play. The break has gone well for him,” Flick told reporters on Saturday.
Flick, who coached the German national team from 2021-2023, added: “We didn’t ask the national team to return him to us. I’ve been on the other side (managing national teams), and it’s not easy for the coaches.
“What Spain coach Luis de la Fuente did is the right thing. Lamine needs to be taken care of and if he has to rest, then he should rest.”
Barcelona have had more good news as they brace for a tough run of fixtures — they host Bayern Munich in the Champions League on Wednesday, followed by a visit to Real Madrid in LaLiga next Saturday.
Midfielder Dani Olmo, who sustained a hamstring injury in September, trained with the team and Flick said the 26-year-old was not quite fit enough to start on Saturday but midfielders Fermin Lopez and Gavi were both in contention.
Gavi has not played for Barca since suffering an Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) tear in November. “In Gavi’s case it is a very important step. We are all very happy to have him back,” Flick said.
“Gavi, Fermin and Olmo are fit to play. Whether they play of not we’ll see. Gavi may start on the bench… Fermin can play. Dani will surely be on the bench”
Barcelona lead the LaLiga standings on 24 points, having won eight of their nine league matches this season, with their only defeat coming against Osasuna last month.
Sevilla are winless on the road so far and are in 12th place with 12 points.
“Sevilla are a bold team. They enjoy playing their style of football and we’ll need to find a way to respond,” Flick added.
(Reporting by Shifa Jahan in Bengaluru; editing by Clare Fallon)
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