Barcelona fans have reason to celebrate as Lamine Yamal is officially back in action just one week before the highly anticipated El Clasico against Real Madrid. Head coach Hansi Flick confirmed on Friday that the young Spanish winger has recovered from his groin injury and is fit to play.
Alongside Yamal, Fermín López has also rejoined team training after a muscle injury, and both players could make appearances in Barcelona’s La Liga match against Girona this Saturday. However, Flick noted that neither player is ready to play a full 90 minutes yet.
Barcelona’s upcoming schedule is packed, with a Champions League fixture against Olympiakos on Tuesday before facing arch-rivals Real Madrid on October 26 in the first Clasico of the 2025–26 season.
Yamal, only 18, had been sidelined for several weeks due to a recurring groin issue. He initially missed four games for Barcelona, made two brief returns, and then aggravated the injury during the Champions League clash against Paris Saint-Germain on October 1. That setback kept him out of Barcelona’s 4-1 defeat to Sevilla and Spain’s World Cup qualifying matches, both of which his national team won without him.
Meanwhile, Fermín López had been unavailable for four matches due to a left-leg muscle problem. Flick also expressed optimism that Brazilian forward Raphinha could recover from a hamstring injury before the Real Madrid showdown.
Despite the return of Yamal and López, Barcelona’s injury list remains long, including Robert Lewandowski, Ferran Torres, Dani Olmo, Gavi Páez, and goalkeeper Joan García.
Currently, Barcelona sits second in the La Liga table, just two points behind Real Madrid, making next week’s El Clasico a potentially decisive encounter in the early title race.
