Lamine Yamal is looking to build on his strong start to the 2024-25 season as Barcelona prepares to face Villarreal in La Liga on Sunday night.
The 17-year-old recently scored his first Champions League goal in Barcelona’s 2-1 loss to Monaco, contributing to an impressive tally of four goals and four assists in just six matches this season.
Barcelona’s head coach Hansi Flick is contending with an injury crisis, missing several key players, including Fermin Lopez, Dani Olmo, Marc Bernal, Andreas Christensen, Ronald Araujo, Frenkie de Jong, and Gavi.
Ferran Torres is also out due to a suspension from his red card in the team’s 4-1 win over Girona last weekend. However, Eric Garcia, despite his red card in the Monaco match, will be available and is expected to start after playing only 10 minutes in that game.
Yamal aims to continue his strong performance, and Barcelona’s lineup against Villarreal is likely to be familiar, with Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha leading the front line.