Barcelona's Lamine Yamal doubtful for El Clasico

Barcelona coach Hansi Flick shared that Lamine Yamal’s latest injury setback has left his status for the first El Clasico of the season uncertain, with the teenager sidelined for up to three weeks and withdrawn from Spain’s international squad.

Flick stated that it was ‘impossible’ to know if Yamal will be fit to face Real Madrid after the youngster suffered a groin relapse during the midweek defeat to Paris Saint-Germain (PSG).

"I spoke with him today, it's better but it's not good," Flick said.

"This is the situation with Lamine. With this injury, it's not so easy to know [when he will return]. It's not easy to say 'OK he can play in two, three or four weeks...' or if he's able to play the Clásico. This is not possible.

"We have to wait. We must manage his load. He trains with the recovery team and [spend] the next weeks with them. We go step by step. We have to see how the evolution is."

The 18-year-old first suffered a groin problem while on international duty in September, forcing him to miss four games.

He returned as a substitute against Real Sociedad and completed 90 minutes against PSG before the setback.

Barcelona has since confirmed that he will miss the trip to Sevilla and the international break.

Spain coach Luis de la Fuente had included Yamal in his squad for World Cup qualifiers, but withdrew him once Barcelona announced the injury.

Flick, who previously criticised Spain for not protecting the teenager, defended his stance but attempted to ease tensions.

"I want to protect my player, support him, this is the reason I made it a little louder than normally I want to do it. I do not regret this. Now, the important thing is managing this together. The players, the clubs and the Spanish Federation,” he added.

Yamal’s absence highlights wider concerns over player welfare between clubs and national teams, and it adds to Barcelona’s growing injury list as they prepare for Sevilla and look ahead to El Clasico at the Santiago Bernabeu.