Lamine Yamal has been ruled out of Barcelona’s trip to face Newcastle United in the Champions League.
Barcelona begin their Champions League campaign with a trip to Tyneside to take on Newcastle tomorrow.
The Spanish champions will be without the services of Yamal, who has not travelled with the squad.
The 18-year-old is suffering with a groin issue and sat out Barcelona’s 6-0 win over Valencia in La Liga at the weekend. He has been deemed unable to feature on Thursday evening and joins Gavi and Alejandro Balde on the sidelines.
It’s a big blow for Hansi Flick, with Yamal having started the season in superb form. The teenager has two goals and two assists in three La Liga appearances, while he remains a frontrunner for the 2025 Ballon d’Or, which will be announced later this month.
Should he win the award, Yamal will eclipse Ronaldo Nazario as the youngest-ever winner of football’s biggest individual accolade.
In more positive news for Barcelona, midfielder Frenkie de Jong has been passed fit to face Newcastle.
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