Key absences at Barça

FC Barcelona head into their match against Oviedo with more doubts than certainties. The long-term injury to Gavi, out for months after knee surgery, has already shaken Hansi Flick’s squad. Added to that are fitness issues for players like Fermín and the prolonged absence of youngsters such as Kochen, who has joined Chile’s U-20 team. In this context, the situation of Lamine Yamal is more worrying than ever.

The 18-year-old did not train with the squad in the final session before Thursday’s LaLiga fixture, leaving him completely ruled out for the trip to Asturias. While Real Madrid remain firm at the top after thrashing Levante, the focus in Barcelona is on absences and how Flick will adjust his lineup with so many gaps to fill.

The plan for Lamine Yamal

Fresh off the Ballon d’Or gala, where he lost out to Ousmane Dembélé but collected the 2025 Kopa Trophy, Yamal skipped training with the group, fueling further doubts about his physical condition. Barça are unwilling to take risks: the priority is to have him fit and ready for next week’s Champions League showdown against PSG.

The coaching staff know that the European clash is decisive. Beyond the importance of facing the French champions, there’s added intrigue in the head-to-head between Dembélé, the new Ballon d’Or winner, and Yamal, the teenage prodigy who was his fiercest rival in the voting.

Champions League on the horizon

The match against Oviedo will test Flick’s depleted squad, who must cope without their young star. But all signs point to the real challenge coming in Paris, where Barça will seek to reassert themselves in Europe and where Lamine Yamal will have the chance to answer on the pitch what he lost at the gala.

The immediate plan is to protect him. Barça know it, Flick knows it, and the fans expect it: the clash with PSG will determine whether the 18-year-old prodigy is ready to once again challenge his great rival for the crown of world football.