Barcelona have confirmed their squad for Thursday’s Champions League opener against Newcastle, with Lamine Yamal sidelined due to a pubic injury.
The absence of the young winger represents a significant blow for Barcelona and will be felt in the opening stages of Europe’s premier competition.
Yamal, who returned from international duty with Spain having already battled through discomfort in the World Cup qualifiers against Bulgaria and Turkey, has seen his injury flare up again, ruling him out of both the Valencia clash and now the European fixture.
Hansi Flick publicly expressed his frustration at Spain coach Luis de la Fuente, suggesting that insufficient care during Yamal’s time with the national team contributed to the setback – comments that drew criticism from the RFEF.
At present, the teenager is expected to miss at least two matches and remains doubtful for Barcelona’s La Liga encounter against Getafe this weekend.
There was positive news for the Catalan side, however, with Frenkie de Jong having recovered from his own fitness issues and travelling with the squad for the trip to St James’ Park.
Barcelona’s squad for the match is as follows:
Goalkeepers: Joan Garcia, Szczesny and Kochen
Defenders: Araujo, Cubarsi, Christensen, Gerard Martin, Kounde, Eric Garcia and Jofre
Midfielders: Pedri, Fermin, Marc Casado, Dani Olmo, Frenkie de Jong and Marc Bernal
Forwards: Ferran Torres, Lewandowski, Raphinha, Rashford, Roony Bardghji and Toni Fernandez
