There is a lot at stake for Barcelona heading into the second half of their ongoing season. Despite promising early signs, the Catalan giants have had a great collapse of sorts in recent weeks. Unfortunately for Barcelona, they will not get the luxury of having a lot of time to figure out their problems.
That is because, heading into the first month of the new year, La Blaugrana will already be expected to compete for titles again. In January, after the first round of the Copa del Rey, Barcelona will travel to Saudi Arabia to take part in the Spanish Super Cup.
With the Catalan giants set to play against Athletic Club in the semi-final of the tournament, a lot will be at stake for Hansi Flick and his men. It would present them an opportunity to compete for their first possible title of the season, and it could be one that would allow the team to take on other challenges with a rejuvenated spark.
Moreover, according to AS, that match could end up presenting Lamine Yamal to make his return from injury. At the moment, the report suggests that the player’s current intention is to be available for that game and end up playing close to around 20 or 25 minutes in that encounter if his ankle gives off positive sensations.
For now, the initial forecast was that the winger would be missing close to a month of action following the injury to his ankle that he suffered against Leganes. Since then, he has been working to recover as soon as possible, and there is hope that he can return in time for the game against Athletic Club over in Saudi Arabia.
However, irrespective of how he feels by the time of the semi-final, Yamal will be a part of the squad that travels to Saudi Arabia. Even if he does not participate against Athletic Club, there is a chance that he could recover in time for the final if Barcelona can manage to win the first game without his help.
Despite the fact that Barcelona have been incredibly dependent on their young star this season, it is something that must change. Hansi Flick must already be aware of this, and the German head coach will definitely want to figure out that unwanted dependency as soon as possible.