Barcelona winger Lamine Yamal omitted from squad for Champions League trip to Newcastle
Eighteen-year-old forward absent with groin issue as Barcelona name squad for St James' Park; Alejandro Balde and Gavi also ruled out
Barcelona will travel to St James' Park without winger Lamine Yamal for their Champions League opener at Newcastle United on Thursday after the club omitted the 18-year-old from the matchday squad with a groin problem.
Yamal missed Barcelona's 6-0 La Liga victory over Valencia on Sunday and was left out of the travelling party to England after manager Hansi Flick raised concerns about the amount of international football the forward played during the September international break. Yamal featured for Spain for 79 minutes in a 3-0 win in Bulgaria on Sept. 4 and for 73 minutes in a 6-0 victory in Turkey three days later.
Also absent from Barcelona's squad are Spain left-back Alejandro Balde, sidelined with a hamstring problem, and Spain midfielder Gavi, who is carrying a knee injury. Netherlands midfielder Frenkie de Jong, who did not feature against Valencia after international duty, is available for selection in Newcastle.
Barcelona's decision to leave Yamal out follows a heavy win at the weekend that did not include the teenager. Flick had publicly questioned the quantity of minutes some players accumulated for their national teams during the break, and the club's medical staff have opted against including Yamal as they prepare for the first match of their Champions League group stage campaign.
The match at St James' Park marks Barcelona's opening fixture in this season's Champions League. The club won La Liga last season and advanced to the Champions League semi-finals before being eliminated by Inter Milan.
Flick has been managing a squad balancing domestic and European fixtures alongside player fitness concerns after the September internationals. Barcelona's absence of several Spain internationals underscores the challenge of integrating players returning from national team duty while maintaining performance levels across competitions.
Newcastle, who will face a Barcelona side missing a number of attacking and defensive options, are preparing to host one of Europe's most decorated clubs in a fixture that will test both teams early in the group stage. Barcelona's selection and injury updates ahead of kick-off will determine how Flick adapts his tactical approach without Yamal, Balde and Gavi.