Barcelona's Lamine Yamal will miss Spain's Nations League game against Czechia on Thursday due to a knee injury sustained during Barça's 2-1 victory over Atlético Madrid. The 19-year-old forward picked up the knock in his right knee and will undergo treatment in Barcelona over the next few days, with the aim of joining the Spain squad ahead of the England game. Real Sociedad striker Mikel Oyarzabal will also sit out the trip to Czechia as he recovers from flu, though the RFEF expects him to return for the England match.
Yamal has started all 20 games for club and country this season, scoring 17 goals and providing 13 assists. There were discrepancies between Spain and Barcelona last season regarding a recurring groin injury. Barça coach Hansi Flick previously accused Spain counterpart Luis de la Fuente of "not taking care" of Yamal.
The teenager, who made his Barça debut at 15, has 167 first-team appearances and 37 caps for Spain. Spain, the World champions, are looking to wrap up top spot in Group A3. They have accumulated 12 points from four games, and a win against Czechia and a draw with England would guarantee they win the group.
The top two teams will progress to the quarterfinals next March.
Source: ESPN Soccer · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing