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As confirmed minutes ago, Barcelona sensation Lamine Yamal is a doubt for Sunday’s La Liga encounter against Sevilla.
The 17-year-old La Masia ace is dealing with an overload in his left hamstring and considering that crucial games against Bayern Munich and Real Madrid are on the horizon, Hansi Flick could decide not to risk the young phenom.
One of Barcelona’s best players this season, Yamal’s absence would hurt the team on Sunday, especially considering that the likes of Dani Olmo and Fermin Lopez are also only returning from injury and will unlikely be ready to start.
Furthermore, Ferran Torres is also out of action for the foreseeable future with a thigh injury. With that in mind, Hansi Flick has two viable options to replace Yamal in the lineup against Sevilla.
Pau Victor
The 22-year-old summer signing would stand to be the likeliest benefactor if Lamine Yamal is indeed rested against Sevilla on Sunday night.
Pau Victor has not seen a lot of minutes since the season started but has shown positive attributes almost every time when given a chance. He has a goal and an assist each from six La Liga appearances thus far.
A versatile operator, Flick could use him directly on the right wing in place of Yamal or put him on the left side and deploy Raphinha on the right.
Ansu Fati
The left-field choice if Yamal is rested and the likes of Fermin and Olmo are not ready to start would be handing Ansu Fati a place in the first XI.
The Spaniard has played just a smidge over 50 minutes this season following an injury setback, but showed glimpses of his innate ability in the Alaves game after coming on as a substitute.
If Fati is to start, he would do so on the left flank, with Flick moving Raphinha to the right side while Robert Lewandowski would continue to occupy the No. 9 position.