Wednesday 17 / September / 2025
Barcelona: Barcelona winger Lamine Yamal has been officially ruled out of the club's pivotal UEFA Champions League opener against Newcastle United tonight due to a groin injury.
The 18-year-old sensation, who also missed Barcelona's commanding 6-0 La Liga victory over Valencia on Sunday, remains sidelined after manager Hansi Flick publicly criticized the significant playing time Yamal logged with the Spanish national team during the recent international break.
Yamal featured prominently for Spain, playing 79 minutes in a 3-0 win against Bulgaria on 4 September and a further 73 minutes in a 6-0 rout of Turkey just three days later.
The squad for the trip to St. James' Park is further depleted by the absence of Spanish left-back Alejandro Balde (hamstring) and midfielder Gavi (knee). In a positive turn, Dutch midfielder Frenkie de Jong, who also missed the Valencia match following international duty, has been declared fit and is available for selection.
The defending La Liga champions, who reached the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League last season before being eliminated by Inter Milan, will look to start their European campaign strongly despite these key absences.
