Why Lamine Yamal Isn't Playing for Barcelona vs. Real Madrid
A celebratory night is in store for Barcelona, who can clinch back-to-back La Liga titles when their fiercest rivals, Real Madrid, come to town on Sunday night.
Hansi Flick's Blaugrana have fully capitalised on Madrid's disarray, although even a Los Blancos outfit uncompromised by disharmony would've found it tough to live with their Clásico foes, who have won 10 league outings in succession.
The gap, as a result, is 11 points, with Barcelona admirably coping in the absence of the generationally gifted Lamine Yamal as of late. Used unrelentingly by Flick since his wondrous senior emergence, Yamal's body finally gave way last month.
With Raphinha suffering from a spate of fitness setbacks, Barça have needed their teenage superstar to move through the gears. Without him, Flick's high-octane and technically gifted unit loses a semblance of sparkle, and he's not the only superstar missing Sunday's Clásico. Kylian Mbappé is also sidelined through injury, although Madridistas currently have little time for the Frenchman.
Here's why Yamal won't be featuring for Barcelona against Madrid.
Why Lamine Yamal Isn't Playing In El Clásico
Yamal doesn't have the most scintillating record in this fixture, notching five goal contributions in nine games. He'd recorded an average of one goal involvement per game before succumbing to a hamstring injury in the 1–0 victory over Celta Vigo last month.
The Spanish international pulled up after scoring from the spot, and was withdrawn at the half-time interval. He's subsequently missed Barcelona's victories away from home against Getafe and Osasuna.
Once the extent of his hamstring issue became clear, there was never a sense that Yamal would be back for the Clásico. In fact, he was ruled out for the rest of the season right away. The more pressing concern was whether Yamal would be fit for this summer's World Cup.
Will Lamine Yamal Be Fit for the World Cup?
There's an ample supply of stricken stars heading into the tournament, and losing Yamal would be a significant blow for FIFA.
However, the noise surrounding his recovery from a hamstring issue has been positive so far. Barcelona have said the teenager, who claimed Young Player of the Tournament honors at Euro 2024, is "expected" to be available in North America this summer.
Club teammate Fermín López also offered optimism in a recent interview with Mundo Deportivo: "He [Yamal] is well, when you get injured it's tough at first because he's an ambitious guy who likes to help out on the pitch and play.
"With this injury, he can't play until the World Cup. Now he's doing well and needs to focus on recovering, and I think he'll be in good shape."
Spain's campaign gets underway against Cape Verde on June 15.
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This story was originally published May 10, 2026 at 1:45 PM.