Young Barcelona star Lamine Yamal ignited the atmosphere ahead of the Catalonia derby against Espanyol, after he posted two stories on his official Instagram account, in which he recalled the goal he scored at the Cornella stadium last season, attaching one of them with the phrase "Excited to return," according to the Spanish newspaper "Mundo Deportivo."

The newspaper explained that Yamal added a foot emoji, which followers interpreted as a response to a previous sarcastic comment by Pery Miah, while the goal the player recalled was the opener last season with a powerful shot from outside the penalty area that goalkeeper Juan Garcia failed to stop.

Yamal posted a second story showing him celebrating the goal in front of the Espanyol supporters' stand alongside Alejandro Balde, where Barcelona took the lead after the 50th minute, before the same player caused Leandro Cabrera's sending off in the 80th minute, and then Fermin sealed the win with a third goal in stoppage time following an assist from Yamal.

According to the newspaper, Espanyol coach Manolo Gonzalez criticized Cabrera's red card decision after the match, considering that the incident did not deserve a red card, noting that he only asked Yamal not to fall to the ground in that situation.

The Spanish newspaper pointed out that Yamal is accustomed to posting messages on social media before major matches, as he did previously before prominent matches this season, confirming that the player will be available to play in the Catalonia derby despite missing one training session, after coach Hans Flick confirmed his readiness for the match.