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Barcelona manager Hansi Flick is unsure if Lamine Yamal will be ready to face Real Madrid later this month. The teenager is out with a groin issue and is expected to miss up to three weeks.
Speaking to the media ahead of their La Liga game at Sevilla, Flick said that he was not planning to rush Yamal back into action. He wants to give the youngster enough time to recover, adding that no player who is not 100% fit will be playing for his side. He said (via Barca Universal):
“I spoke to Lamine this morning. We talk every day. And we tell him how we can help him. Everyone knows how good he is, but it’s my responsibility to give him playing time when he comes back. And I will. If players aren’t 100 per cent fit, they focus on their strengths. He’s incredible with the ball, but you also have to be good without it. You have to manage the minutes well.”
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“We don’t know when Lamine will be back because with this injury, it’s not easy to know, as it’s not a muscle injury. We don’t know if he’ll be back in two, three or four weeks. I don’t know if he’ll be ready for El Clasico. We have to manage his minutes. He’ll work with the recovery team. He’ll take it step by step. We’ll see how he progresses.”
Lamine Yamal also missed four matches in September after returning from international break with a groin issue. He played just over half an hour against Real Sociedad, but played the whole game against PSG in the UEFA Champions League.
Barcelona warned about beating Real Madrid to La Liga title
Liverpool legend Steve Nicol was on ESPN FC last month, issuing a warning to Barcelona. He urged Hansi Flick to fix his defence if he wants to beat Real Madrid to the league title again. He said:
“I think Hansi Flick has been looking at his defence since last year. The best teams don’t go through a season thinking like, ‘okay, we are sometimes pretty vulnerable defensively, but you know what? We’re going to score loads of goals [and win games].’ To have that sort of outlook is a gamble. He has to do something with the backline, there will be days when the forwards are not just quite at it."
Barcelona won the title by four points last season, with the Catalan side picking up 88 points in the season.
