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Yamal missed four games in all competitions because of a groin injury after the September international break, having played in Spain's FIFA World Cup qualifying wins over Bulgaria and Turkiye.

Barca won all four games without the 18-year-old, but Flick was not happy about the way he was treated on international duty, claiming he was already injured when he met up with his Spain team-mates and had to take painkillers to get through their games.

Yamal returned off the bench against Real Sociedad last week before playing the full 90 minutes of Barca's UEFA Champions League loss to Paris Saint-Germain in midweek, but the club has confirmed he has aggravated his groin issue and will miss up to three weeks.

That came just hours after Yamal was named in Spain's squad for their October internationals, and Roja boss Luis de la Fuente accused Flick of a lack of understanding.

But speaking ahead of the trip to Sevilla, Flick refused to go back on his comments.

"I don't regret it because I try to protect my players," Flick said. "For me, it's a closed chapter. 

"Maybe it's a good story for you, but for me it's over and the important thing is to handle it together – the player, the club and the federation.

"I spoke to [Yamal] today and he's better but he's not well. The situation arose after the last break, and I want to protect my player, to support him. That's what this is about.

"It's water under the bridge. It's in the past. I don't think negatively. These things happen. 

"I've been on the other side of it too and it's not easy. I have to protect my player, and that's why I made those comments… perhaps I made them more forcefully than usual."

Since the start of last season, Barca has won 75 per cent of its competitive games with Yamal in the starting lineup (45/60), compared to 66.7 per cent without him (6/9).

But Sevilla boss Almeyda says his team, which is 10th in LaLiga with 10 points from seven games, will not be buoyed by Yamal's absence.

"If I were to focus on just one player, it would be a grave mistake. Barcelona have 20 good players," Matias Almeyda said.

"There's a function that goes beyond the technical qualities of each player for them, and that's what we have to stop."

Barca has 19 points from its first seven games of the season, and after the international break, it faces a pair of derbies against local neighbour Girona and Clasico rival Real Madrid.

Asked whether Yamal will recover in time for that latter game, Flick said: "With this type of injury, we don't know.

"It could be two weeks, three weeks, or four.

"We know more about muscle injuries, but this one is different. We want him to recover and take it step by step to see how he progresses."