The success of an international window is often defined by the length of the injury list once those on duty return, and, by that metric, Barcelona didn’t have the greatest of September breaks.

The start of their La Liga title defense has been pretty chaotic, and they’ve lost early ground to Real Madrid at the summit. Hansi Flick’s side may already be feeling a little bit of pressure when they host Valencia on Sunday night, given that Madrid maintained their 100% start to the new season by beating Real Sociedad 2–1.

Their task of passing by a resurgent Carlos Corberán-led outfit has been made trickier by their list of notable absentees. Flick is without midfielders Gavi and Pedri, but can at least count upon Pedri, Marc Casadó and Marc Bernal, who’s set to make his return to the matchday squad after more than a year out.

The champions are well set on the mitigation front in Flick’s midfield pivot, but question marks reside over the huge and unfamiliar void down the right flank. The German has leaned on Lamine Yamal relentlessly since taking on the role, but Barça’s generationally gifted teenager will be sitting out this weekend.

Why Lamine Yamal Isn’t Playing For Barcelona vs. Valencia

Barcelona confirmed that Yamal is “experiencing discomfort in the pubic area” and won’t feature against Valencia on Sunday night. Others have dressed his issue up as a groin injury.

Given how the problem came about, Flick is understandably furious with Yamal’s national team: “He went off to play for Spain with some pain and did not train,” the Barcelona boss fumed.

“They gave him painkillers so he could play. They had at least a three-goal lead in both matches, and he still played 73 and 79 minutes. Between the games, he wasn’t able to train. That’s not looking after the player. I’m very sad about this.”

Spain have reportedly been left ’stunned’ by Flick’s accusations.

When Will Lamine Yamal Return From Injury?

The situation is certainly frustrating for Flick and Barcelona, but Yamal shouldn’t be out for an extended period. However, the manager has already cast doubt over his status for their Champions League opener away at Newcastle United on Thursday.

As it stands, a return date has not been set.

His absence will force Flick to tinker, with Raphinha potentially shifting out to the right and Marcus Rashford coming into the side. The German could also use Ferran Torres out wide.

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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Why Is Lamine Yamal Not Playing for Barcelona vs. Valencia?.

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