Lamine Yamal is a major doubt for FC Barcelona when they visit Newcastle United on Thursday night. Yamal, who aggravated a groin injury while with Spain on international break earlier this month, trained alone earlier today, instead of working out with the rest of the team. He also missed out on the 6-0 thrashing of Valencia last weekend.
It sounds like Yamal will face a late fitness test, to see if he can feature in the UCL opener this midweek.
UEFA Champions League Matchday 1 of 8
Newcastle United vs FC Barcelona
Kickoff: Thurs. Sept 18, 8pm, St. James Park, Newcastle, UK
Preview Material for Both Sides: Team News Starting XI Predictions
Team News for Both Sides
Frenkie de Jong is also an injury doubt, due to an issue with his glutes. Elsewhere Alejandro Balde, Gavi and Marc-Andre ter Stegen are effectively long ruled out of this one.
Shifting gears to Newcastle, Yoane Wissa suffered a knee injury while on international duty with the Democratic Republic of the Congo last week, and he’ll miss out on the next 4-6 weeks of action.
And then finally, Jacob Ramsey suffered an ankle injury in the goalless draw with Leeds United and he’s set to be out until after the October international break.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter