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FC Barcelona head coach Hansi Flick hopes Lamine Yamal will be able to play against Atletico Madrid in the first leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final on Tuesday at the Olympic Stadium. Yamal, who featured in Barcelona's 2-0 LaLiga victory against Las Palmas on Saturday, was substituted in the last minute of the game and later posted a photograph of his wounded foot on social media, revealing a bloody wound. Now, according to the latest update by journalist Helena Condis, Yamal has been given a green signal to play against Atletico later tonight.
Yamal was the victim of a hard tackle, leaving him with a bloodied sock. The incident prompted controversy, with Barcelona coach Hansi Flick advocating for harsher penalties for "hard fouls". Flick underlined that protection against such tackles should be extended to all athletes, not just a few. During the pre-match press conference, Flick said, “We'll have to wait and see, I think he'll be able to play. I’m positive, but we’ll have to see what the doctor says.”
We need to safeguard all players: Hansi Flick stresses on safety of players
Yamal received three of Las Palmas' 12 fouls during the game, but Barcelona believed several other fouls went uncalled, prompting increased protection for the winger. Stressing on the safety of players, Flick said, “We can't say that Lamine or certain players should be specially protected, it should be for everyone. If they don’t get yellow cards, hard fouls will be repeated.”
"We need to be more aware of this. We need to safeguard all players, not just the special ones. Here in Spain, everyone loves players who take on 1 vs. 1 challenge. It's what makes this style so unique and exciting for the fans, and we must protect that," he added.
Barcelona's victory over Las Palmas helped them get ahead of LaLiga. While they have equalled Real Madrid, they are only one point clear of Atletico. Notably, Barcelona's previous LaLiga match against Atletico, which took place in December, ended 2-1 at home, although Flick lauded his team's performance despite the setback.
