Barcelona’s season continues to swing between relief and despair. Just days after producing yet another comeback—this time against Real Oviedo at the Nuevo Carlos Tartiere—the Blaugrana received news that both delighted and worried their fans in equal measure. On one hand, Lamine Yamal is finally set to return.
The 18-year-old prodigy has been sidelined since Spain’s emphatic 6-0 win over Turkey earlier this month, his absence attributed to lingering groin and back discomfort. Barcelona boss Hansi Flick had not hidden his frustration with the Spanish national team, even accusing them of overusing the youngster. “They gave him pain-killing injections and played him in spite of his injury,” Flick complained earlier in September.
Now, hope has arrived. Diario AS confirmed that Yamal trained with the full squad on Friday, with president Joan Laporta hinting that he may see minutes as early as Sunday’s La Liga clash with Real Sociedad. Yamal himself fed the excitement, sharing a video on Instagram captioned: “Hey! I’m back.”
The timing could not be better. Barcelona face Paris Saint-Germain in midweek—a Champions League showdown that will demand every ounce of their talent.
Barcelona pays a heavy price
For every positive, however, Barcelona seems cursed with two setbacks. Thursday’s 3-1 victory, while extending their winning run without Yamal, came at a steep cost. Two key starters have now joined the ever-growing injury list.
The first blow came during the second half against Oviedo. Brazilian winger Raphinha, who had been central to the Blaugrana’s attacking play this season with three goals and two assists in seven matches, limped off with a hamstring problem.
The club confirmed the diagnosis the following day: “Player Raphinha has an injury in the middle third of the biceps femoris of the right thigh. The approximate time out is about three weeks,” read Barca’s official statement. That rules him out of matches against Real Sociedad, PSG, Sevilla, and likely Brazil’s international fixtures in October.
The second setback arrived less expectedly. On Friday morning, goalkeeper Joan Garcia, Barcelona’s summer signing who had started every game this season, suffered a knee injury during training. Initial reports suggested a minor muscle strain, but further scans revealed a meniscus tear, forcing the club to announce immediate surgery.
“The player Joan Garcia suffers a tear of the internal meniscus in his left knee. Tomorrow, he will undergo arthroscopy surgery performed by Dr. Joan Carles Monllau. The approximate time out is 4 to 6 weeks,” Barcelona confirmed.
For Garcia, who had been making the No.1 spot his own after Marc-Andre ter Stegen’s injury, the setback is crushing. The 24-year-old is now expected to miss key fixtures including PSG, Sevilla, Girona, Olympiacos, and—most painfully—El Clasico against Real Madrid on October 26.
