Yamal, Raphinha fit as Barcelona returns to Camp Nou
Barcelona winger Lamine Yamal, who missed Spain's FIFA World Cup qualifiers this month with a groin injury, is fit ahead of his club's LaLiga clash with Athletic Club at the Camp Nou on Sunday (AEDT).
Yamal, who has been sidelined for three times with groin issues since September, is set for a comeback as Barca returns to its home ground after two-and-a-half years, with the club reopening the partially renovated Camp Nou with a reduced capacity.
"He worked very hard these two weeks and I'm really happy [with] what I see," Flick said of the 18-year-old Yamal, who was released from Spain's squad on 11 November.
Raphinha, out since September with a hamstring injury, is also set to return, but fellow forward Marcus Rashford is a doubt after coming down with a fever, Flick added.
The Barcelona team are happy to return to the Camp Nou for the first time since May 2023, the German coach said.
Barca has played its home matches over the past two seasons at Lluis Companys Olympic Stadium, where Flick led it to the league title in his debut campaign in 2024-2025.
The squad held an open training session at the Camp Nou earlier this month.
"I think we prefer to play in Camp Nou ... when we were at the training and I went up the stairs and reached the pitch it was an unbelievable feeling," Flick said.
"It can give us a really big push in the match because it's very close and the fans ... know exactly when the team needs this push."
Second-placed Barca is three points behind Real Madrid in the Spanish top-flight.
"Game-by-game, this is what we want to do. I know that it's a long, long way till the end of May ... we never have doubts about what we want to do, how we want to play and reach our goals," Flick said.
"Last season was the same ... we have to look into ourselves and we have to give our best performance in every match."
