BARCELONA, Spain (BN24) — Lamine Yamal will miss Spain’s upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Georgia and Bulgaria after suffering a recurrence of a groin injury, Barcelona confirmed Friday.
The 18-year-old winger, who returned to the starting lineup in Wednesday’s 2-1 Champions League loss to Paris Saint-Germain, is expected to be sidelined for up to three weeks. The setback comes after Yamal had only just recovered from a previous groin injury that kept him out of four matches.
Barcelona manager Hansi Flick had previously expressed frustration over the player’s workload, suggesting that his involvement in Spain’s September qualifiers may have contributed to the problem.
Spain coach Luis de la Fuente responded to those concerns while unveiling his squad on Friday, denying any rift between himself and Flick.
“There is no conflict with Flick,” De la Fuente said. “I was simply surprised by those statements because he has been a national team coach, and I thought he had that empathy.”
De la Fuente emphasized the importance of the upcoming fixtures, saying the focus should remain on Spain’s World Cup ambitions rather than off-pitch comments.
“We are playing for the World Cup, that is what really matters. The rest is not important,” he said.
Flick previously stated that he had exchanged brief messages with De la Fuente but admitted communication between the two could be improved. De la Fuente tried to close the discussion on Friday, offering clarification on the injury timeline.
“When the match ended, [Yamal] had some kind of discomfort,” he said. “But I have never played without discomfort. Nothing happened. Our medical staff has explained it, and I have explained it. Nothing more.”
The latest injury puts Yamal’s participation in the October 26 Clasico against Real Madrid in doubt.
Spain will also be without Nico Williams and Dani Carvajal for the October internationals. Williams has not featured since sustaining a groin injury during the 6-0 win over Turkey, with Athletic Bilbao reportedly requesting that his minutes be carefully managed.
Alvaro Morata has been left out of the squad following a slow start to the season with Como.
“The risk in football and in sports always exists. If he is playing at his club, he is assuming those risks,” De la Fuente said. “We are talking about completely normal situations.”
Spain, currently leading Group E with six points from two matches, will host Georgia in Elche on October 11 and Bulgaria in Valladolid on October 14 as it continues its campaign toward World Cup qualification.
