Barcelona receive welcome Lamine Yamal injury boost | OneFootball

Barcelona expect Lamine Yamal to return for the team's first training session of 2025, reports have confirmed.

Yamal suffered his second ankle injury of the season midway through December and was forced to miss the 2-1 defeat to Atletico Madrid before La Liga's winter break handed him a few extra weeks to recover.

The teenage winger missed Barcelona's final training session of 2024 on Tuesday, but SPORT state he should be back involved on Wednesday as Hansi Flick's side begin 2025.

It is believed that he could be physically fit enough to feature against Barbastro in the Copa del Rey on 4 January, but given Barcelona's status as overwhelming favourites for that tie, Yamal is expected to be given the night off to further aid his recovery.

Instead, the Supercopa de Espana semi-final against Athletic Club on 8 January in Saudi Arabia is seen as a likely return date for Yamal.

Should Barcelona beat Athletic, they would book a spot in the final against either Real Madrid or Mallorca, which is due to be played four days later on 12 January.

Flick finds himself under pressure as La Liga prepares to return for 2025. A run of just one win from their last seven games have seen them fall from first down to third in the league standings, having also played one game more than both Madrid and Atletico ahead of them.