FC Barcelona will not be able to count on Lamine Yamal this Sunday for matchday 4 of LaLiga EA Sports 2025/26 against Valencia (21:00 CEST). The 18-year-old player is out due to discomfort in the pubis that prevented him from training normally before the match. With this, there are five confirmed absences in the 'Azulgrana' team.
In addition to the one from Mataró, Gavi, Alejandro Balde, Frenkie de Jong and Marc-André ter Stegen will also not be available. The midfielder still suffers from pain in his right knee and could undergo arthroscopy to solve his meniscus problems. For now, the club is opting for conservative treatment, but a final decision will be made next week.
Álex, on the other hand, is still aiming for a couple of weeks in the infirmary due to an injury to his left femoral biceps. In the case of Ter Stegen, the German is ruled out for at least four months, which makes it very difficult for him to return before the end of the year.
Lamine Yamal, out against Valencia and doubtful against Newcastle
Regarding Lamine Yamal, Hansi Flick confirmed the reason for his absence in the press conference prior to the match at the Johan Cruyff Stadium. "He has discomfort in the pubis, not in the back. He has been tested and will not be available against Valencia and is doubtful against Newcastle", explained the coach.
In that sense, the evolution of the winger in the coming days will mark his availability. At the moment there is no specific injury, but we must bet on rest to avoid a more serious problem. Lamine played 79 minutes with Spain against Bulgaria (0-3), a match where he had already presented lower back pain.
However, he was a starter last Sunday against Turkey (0-6), a match where he also spent 73 minutes on the field despite the comfortable advantage in favor of La Roja before the break (0-3). Therefore, Flick criticized Luis de la Fuente's management, although he understands that each coach wants to have the best players for each match.
"He did not train, due to muscle problems between the two matches with Spain. That is not taking care of the players. The Spanish National Team has the best players in the world, but we should worry about the players, also about the young ones", argued Flick.
Barça will not be able to count on Frenkie de Jong and Marc Bernal against Valencia
On the other hand, Barça maintains mixed fortunes with Frenkie de Jong and Marc Bernal. The Barça coach himself confirmed the physical condition of both prior for matchday 4 of La Liga, with the return of the player from Berga being the most awaited due to the length of his absence (382 days).
"De Jong will not be available, but Bernal will be on the bench. The next step is for him to be available. I want to see him on the pitch. For him tomorrow will be exciting and we have to take care of him", detailed the German coach.
Thus, Frenkie will not be able to play on Sunday after suffering a minor injury to his right leg (near the gluteus) with the Netherlands that forced him to train on the sidelines this week. Marc Casadó is tipped to start alongside Pedri, while Eric García also remains an alternative for the pivot position.
De Jong only missed the match against Levante (2-3) due to special permission after the birth of his son. Marc Bernal, on the other hand, accompanied the team during the pre-season, but he only received official medical discharge on Saturday and will enter his first call-up since matchday 3 of LaLiga 24/25, against Rayo.
The five confirmed absences of Barça against Valencia
- Marc-André ter Stegen: out due to lower back problems. The German will be out for at least four months, after undergoing surgery in July.
- Alejandro Balde: the full-back suffers an injury to his left femoral biceps and his return date is set for the last week of September.
- Pablo Gavi: pain in his right knee prevented him from playing against Rayo and traveling with the Spanish National Team during the break. The club will wait a few more days to define whether or not the midfielder should undergo surgery.
- Frenkie de Jong: the Dutchman suffered an injury in the external obturator muscle of his right leg during the Netherlands-Poland (1-1) match that will leave him out against Valencia, only as a precaution to avoid a possible tear.
- Lamine Yamal: the winger suffers discomfort in the pubis that prevented him from training normally. The '10' is also doubtful for the Champions League debut against Newcastle, next Thursday.