Why Lamine Yamal Isn’t Playing vs. Slavia Prague

Barcelona have struggled in the Champions League this season.

Lamine Yamal has not made the trip to Prague. | Joris Verwijst/BSR Agency/Getty Images

Barcelona are aiming to rise into the top eight of the Champions League league phase standings when they visit Slavia Prague but the absence of Lamine Yamal complictaes their assignment.

La Blaugrana have underwhelmed on the continent this season having accumulated just 10 points from six outings. A draw against Club Brugge and defeats to Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea has harmed their chances of automatic progression to the last 16 of the competition.

Victory in the Czech capital on Wednesday night in their penultimate league phase fixture is essential if Barça want to bypass the playoff round, although a straightforward finale against Copenhagen at Camp Nou means supporters won’t be fretting just yet.

Hansi Flick will demand a return to winning ways after the weekend defeat to Real Sociedad in La Liga but the absence of Yamal will offer the German manager a selection headache in Prague.

But why is Yamal not playing against Slavia Prague?

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Why Is Lamine Yamal Not Playing Against Slavia Prague?

Yamal’s absence always makes life difficult for Barça. | Alex Caparros/Getty Images

Fear not, Yamal is not injured, merely suspended. The 18-year-old accumulated his third yellow card of the league phase during the comeback win over Eintracht Frankfurt in Barça’s most recent Champions League outing in December—the threshold yielding a one-match suspension.

That means Yamal will be available for the league phase clash with Copenhagen next Wednesday, but will be forced to sit it out while his teammates journey across the continent this week.

Yamal has produced four goal contributions in the Champions League so far this season and will be sorely missed by Flick, who’s also without several injured absentees. Gavi, Andreas Christensen and Ferran Torres are all missing with fitness issues.

In better news, Barcelona have welcomed Raphinha back into their matchday squad for the Slavia fixture, the Brazilian having recovered in time from a small knock that kept him out of the weekend setback in San Sebastián.

Yamal has missed five games already this term, one of which was the Champions League opener at Newcastle United that ended in a 2–1 victory for the Catalan giants. They also beat Getafe, Valencia and Real Oviedo in the league without the teenage Spaniard, but were beaten 4–1 by Sevilla back in October while Yamal was sidelined with a groin injury.

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