La Blaugrana will also be without Gavi and Alejandro Balde, but Frenkie De Jong likely to feature
Barcelona face the prospect of starting their Champions League campaign without Lamine Yamal, after the teenager missed training again on Tuesday.
Yamal started the season brightly, with two goals and two assists in his first three league matches, but has been sidelined since aggravating a groin problem while on international duty with Spain earlier this month.
He sat out Sunday’s 6-0 mauling of Valencia and has yet to rejoin full training, though he carried out individual recovery work at the club’s training ground.
Coach Hansi Flick criticised Spain for their use of the forward, saying Yamal had played through discomfort during the World Cup qualifiers against Bulgaria and Turkey despite being unable to train. The player reportedly required painkillers to feature in those matches.
“Maybe when we talk about taking care of young players, it’s things like that,” Flick said. “I am really sad about this.”
Barcelona will also be without Gavi for Thursday’s visit to St James’ Park, as the midfielder continues his recovery from knee surgery, as well as left-back Alejandro Balde, who is sidelined with a hamstring problem.
There is better news regarding Frenkie de Jong, who has resumed training after missing the Valencia game and is expected to travel to England.
