Barcelona Gets An Injection Of Enthusiasm Because Yamal Lamine Returns To Training

Lamine Yamal has returned to training with Barcelona after an ankle injury (Instagram/@fcbarcelona).

JAKARTA - Barcelona striker Lamine Yamal returned to light training on Thursday, January 2, 2025, ahead of the Copa del Rey and Supercopa de Espana (Spanish Super Cup).

The Blaugrana are scheduled to visit Barbastro headquarters on Sunday, January 5, 2025, and face the Spanish Super Cup semifinal match against Athletic Bilbao on January 9, 2025 in Saudi Arabia.

The 17-year-old has had to be sidelined for up to four weeks due to an ankle injury since December 16, 2024. He was out of action during Barcelona's 1-2 loss to Atletico Madrid before the winter break.

Yamal is also considered a highly doubtful player to appear for the Spanish Super Cup. However, he has returned earlier than planned.

The attacker already attended Thursday's training session ahead of the Copa del Rey match.

The match against Barbastro feels too fast for Yamal. That is, he will most likely not be fielded this weekend in order to be more fit for the Spanish Super Cup.

Yamal, who helped the Spanish National Team win Euro 2024 last summer, has been one of the most prominent Barcelona players since Hansi Flick took over the team earlier this season.

In 21 appearances in all competitions, the winger has scored six goals and made 11 assists as part of a productive attack alongside Raphinha and Robert Lewandowski.

Meanwhile, there are still doubts as to whether the fourth component of the front line, Dani Olmo, will play for the club again this season.

La Liga has canceled registration for Olmo and striker Pau Victor after Barcelona failed to meet the deadline of December 31, 2024 to extend their registration for the second half of the season.

La Liga said Barcelona did not provide sufficient guarantees that they could comply with Financial Fair Play rules to be able to register both.

Barcelona insists the sale of the VIP area on Spotify Camp Nou, which is currently being rebuilt, will generate enough revenue to be able to register the two players.

The development of the case is expected to emerge on Friday, January 3, 2025, with sources telling ESPN that Barcelona will provide a complete explanation of the situation.

Meanwhile, the Spanish Super Cup allowed El Clasico to occur in the top match if Barcelona were to win Athletic Bilbao and Real Madrid beat Mallorca on January 9, 2025.

The Supercopa de Espana final match is scheduled for January 12, 2025, which will take place in Jeddah.