Barcelona manager Hansi Flick spoke to the press on Friday to preview Saturday’s La Liga derby against Espanyol, and the coach discussed the status of two important players.
One is Gavi, who has played more and more minutes since returning from injury and is in contention to start on Saturday with all of the absences in midfield. Gavi hasn’t started a match since May 2025 in the last game of last season at San Mamés, but that long wait looks set to end on Saturday.
“He’s a good option to start tomorrow,
and we’ll see if he plays 90 minutes or not. We have to see; with him, we have to take it step by step, but he’s ready to start.”
As for Lamine Yamal, Flick indicated he could be rested but also mentioned he likes to have the teenager in his starting XI. But his status appears very much in the air.
“We’ll see how we manage it; it’s always good for him to start in the starting eleven, and we’ll see. I haven’t decided yet; we’ll have to wait until tomorrow.”
Flick used a very similar language the last time he rested Yamal against Sevilla a month ago. I have a feeling the teenager will be on the bench and Roony Bardghji will get a rare start, but Flick wants to keep Espanyol guessing as to whether Lamine will play or not.
The most exciting bit, though, is regarding Gavi. If he does indeed start, this will be a major confidence boost for The Warrior after such a long and tough battle with injuries. Seeing his name in the lineup again will be awesome.
