The Spanish national team will not be able to count on Lamine Yamal or Mikel Oyarzabal for next Thursday’s match against the Czech Republic, corresponding to the Nations League. Both footballers will delay their arrival at the camp of the team led by Luis de la Fuente due to physical problems, although the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) trusts that they may be available for the match on Sunday 15 November against England at the Metropolitano Stadium.
The RFEF confirmed this Monday that Lamine Yamal will remain in Barcelona to continue his recovery from the discomfort in his right knee that he suffered during the match played on Sunday against Atlético de Madrid. For his part, Oyarzabal will stay in San Sebastián until he fully overcomes a flu process that has prevented him from joining the group at the start of the camp. The federation maintains contact with the medical services of both clubs to assess his progress and determine when he will be able to come under the command of the team’s coach.
Lamine Yamal stays in Barcelona after the discomfort against Atlético de Madrid
The footballer of the FC Barcelona finished the match on Sunday against Atlético de Madrid with discomfort in his right knee, a circumstance that has forced his plans with the Spanish national team to be changed. After undergoing different medical tests, the health officials have considered it advisable for him to continue his recovery at his club’s facilities before joining the camp.
As the RFEF has explained, after assessing the discomfort of the player "it has been decided that he will remain in Barcelona to continue with his recovery process". The federation has not detailed the exact scope of the discomfort nor set a specific date for his joining, although it maintains the expectation that he may be able to meet up with his teammates over the next few days.
In this way, Lamine Yamal will not be available to face the Czech Republic on Thursday, but his participation in the match against England is still being considered. His presence will depend on the footballer’s physical progress and on the medical assessments that are carried out before the match.
Oyarzabal will also be unavailable against the Czech Republic due to flu
The Spanish squad will also not initially include Mikel Oyarzabal, the Real Sociedad forward, who is recovering from a flu-like illness. The attacker will remain in San Sebastián during the first days of the training camp in order to complete his recovery before traveling to Madrid.
The RFEF has said that the player "is in the final stage of a flu-like illness and will finish recovering in San Sebastián", so his absence is the result of a precautionary measure to prevent him from joining the squad without being completely recovered.
As happens with Lamine Yamal, the expectation is that Oyarzabal may rejoin the group before the match against England next Sunday. However, his final availability will depend on how he develops over the next few days.
Spain starts the training camp with 27 call-ups and two absences
The information about both players coincides with the start of the Spanish national team’s training camp at the Ciudad del Fútbol de Las Rozas (Madrid), where the 27 footballers called up by Luis de la Fuente are gathered for the two international fixtures in November.
The first will take place on Thursday 12 November against the Czech Republic, while the second will be played on Sunday 15 against England at the Metropolitano stadium. For this latter fixture, the coaching staff believe they can recover both internationals, although their participation is not guaranteed.
The federation has explained that "the medical services of the RFEF are in permanent contact with the doctors of both clubs to follow day by day the progress of the two internationals", with the aim of coordinating their recovery processes and assessing their return to the training camp.
For the time being, Luis de la Fuente will have to prepare the match against the Czech Republic without Lamine Yamal or Oyarzabal, while he remains attentive to how both players develop in order to determine whether they can take part in the match against England.