Barcelona coach Hansi Flick has dismissed the doubts over Lamine Yamal, confirming the forward is fit for La Liga’s clash with Valencia despite Spanish press reports suggesting he could sit out.
Those reports followed Yamal’s absence from Barcelona’s group training session on Saturday, casting doubt over his availability for the fourth-round fixture.
The youngster stayed inside the gym while every other available squad member trained under Flick.
Asked about Yamal’s condition in the press conference, Flick said: “He went out to train late, but he is ready for tomorrow’s match.”
On why the winger trained alone, he added, according to the newspaper “AS“: “He took a knock (injury), and it was better for him to train at a lower intensity, but he is in perfect condition to play tomorrow.”
He explained: “He will travel with us to Valencia. We will talk and decide whether he starts or not.”
The German coach continued: “For me, it was important that he played 90 minutes in our first home match, and in the last match he put in a very good performance. He can manage his minutes.”
Victory would send Barcelona top of La Liga on their own, moving them to 12 points. Real Madrid stalled on 9 after tasting their first defeat of the season, beaten 1-0 by Real Betis.
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