The Spanish newspaper 'Sport' confirmed that young player Lamine Yamal did not participate in Barcelona's first training session of 2026, just two days before the derby against Espanyol. According to the source, Yamal arrived at the Joan Gamper Sports City but left the training after a few minutes without taking part in the group session led by coach Hans Flick.

The club has not issued any official statement explaining the reasons for the player's absence, but close sources confirmed that it is not related to any serious injury or incident threatening his participation. This absence comes at a critical time for the Catalan team, which faces Espanyol amid the challenges of the new year's start.

Barcelona is also preparing to travel to Saudi Arabia next week to play the Spanish Super Cup semi-final on January 7 against Athletic Bilbao, with the possibility of advancing to the final on January 11 to face the winner of the Real Madrid or Atletico Madrid match scheduled for January 8.

Despite Yamal's absence from training, it is not expected to affect his participation in the derby match. However, the technical staff led by Flick will continue to closely monitor his condition in the coming hours to ensure his readiness.