Barcelona winger Lamine Yamal missed the team's training session on Thursday. The club has not yet issued an official statement regarding the reason for his absence, but according to internal club sources, this is not a serious issue.
With just 48 hours left until the Catalan derby against Espanyol, there was a minor incident during Barcelona's training session preparing for the match. The Blaugrana were scheduled to hold their first training session of the new year at 6 pm local time this Thursday, which is also the penultimate training session before facing Espanyol. However, Yamal did not join his teammates in training. He did appear at the club's training ground but left a few minutes later and failed to participate in the joint training guided by Hansi Flick.
Barcelona is about to face one of the most difficult matches of the season, the away derby against Espanyol. This match not only marks Joan García's return to his former club but also undertakes the task of preventing Real Madrid from narrowing the points gap in the first round of matches in the new year. In addition, Flick's team is also facing a dense schedule, with the Spanish Super Cup approaching.
Next week, Barcelona will travel to Saudi Arabia to participate in the Spanish Super Cup semi-final, facing Athletic Bilbao on January 7th. If they advance smoothly, they will take on Real Madrid or Atlético Madrid on January 11th.
Although Yamal missed this training session, it seems that this will not affect his possibility of participating in the derby. However, the coaching staff still needs to closely monitor his situation, as 11 am tomorrow will be the last training session before the match.
