Madrid (Spain), Nov 29 (IANS) Spanish giants FC Barcelona aim to celebrate the club’s 125th anniversary on Saturday with a win at home to Las Palmas that will keep it on the top of La Liga. Coach Hansi Flick will welcome back Lamine Yamal after an ankle injury that has sidelined him since the eve of the last international break. Ferran Torres is also back in the squad and central defender Inigo Martinez took part in Friday’s training session after ending Tuesday’s 3-0 win over Brest with a slight muscle problem.
That midweek Champions League win ended a worrying run of results for Barca, which lost 1-0 away to Real Sociedad three weeks ago and then drew 2-2 away to Celta Vigo when it conceded two late goals after being reduced to 10 men following Marc Casado’s 82nd-minute red card, reports Xinhua.
Casado is suspended for Saturday and Flick will have to decide whether to recall Frenkie de Jong to his starting line-up after the Dutch midfielder was booed by a section of the fans when he came on as a second-half substitute on Tuesday.
If Flick decided against De Jong, Gavi could make his first start after recovering from his knee operation a year ago. The coach will also have to consider whether it is wise to start with Yamal or to keep him on the bench for the second half.
The 17-year-old has been vital for Barcelona this season, and it’s perhaps no surprise Barca dropped points in two games where he was absent, but with another midweek match against Mallorca on the horizon, Barca needs to protect the youngster to avoid risking further injuries.
Yamal is reportedly keen to get back into action and was frustrated at missing Tuesday’s win, but with Fermin Lopez and Ferran Torres also able to support Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha, there is no need to rush his return.
–IANS
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