Hansi Flick has urged Barcelona to find a way to win without the absent Lamine Yamal as he misses a second straight game with an ankle injury.
The 17-year-old missed the 1-0 defeat at Real Sociedad, which halted Barca's seven-match winning streak in all competitions before the international break.
Yamal has missed just two LaLiga games since the start of last season, while Barcelona have lost both of their games this season in which he has not started after coming off the bench in a 4-2 defeat to Osasuna in September.
Flick said his players need to show they can win without their teenage sensation.
“Tomorrow I will put the question to the team, it will be a very good question for them [if they can win without Yamal],” Flick told a press conference on Friday.
“We didn't play well against Real Sociedad, and that wasn't because of Lamine's absence. He is a very important player for us, but we have options to play well without him.”
“He won't be able to play tomorrow, we don't know when he can come back from his injury, but what is clear to me is that we don't want him to come back until he is 100% recovered.”
Yamal was instrumental in Spain winning the European Championship title in Germany earlier this year, winning the best goal and Young Player of the Tournament awards in his breakthrough campaign.
84 – Players with the most dribble attempts in @LaLigaEN 2024/25:
84 – LAMINE YAMAL82 – Vinícius Júnior70 – Kylian Mbappé65 – Nico Williams63 – Alberto Moleiro
Instability. pic.twitter.com/U7wrKXgjMq
— OptaJose (@OptaJose) November 14, 2024
He continued to flourish this season with five goals and seven assists, helping Barca to the top of the LaLiga standings with 33 points, six ahead of rivals Real Madrid, who have a game in hand in second place.
Yamal is also the only player in Europe's top five leagues to have completed more than 25 dribbles (34), created 25+ chances (26), had 25+ shots (39), scored 5+ goals (five) and has provided more than 5 assists (seven). ).
Flick suggested he may need to change his system as it is difficult to replace a player with such a mix of speed, technique and finishing.
“We may be limited a little bit by Lamine's absence,” Flick said.
“But we have a lot of players with great quality and they can play in different positions. We will see what we need and we will design the game plan.”
“It is always important to come back strong and with confidence after the international break. That is our goal for tomorrow.”
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