La Liga 2025-26: Yamal, Raphinha fit as Barcelona returns to Camp Nou for Athletic Bilbao clash
Barcelona winger Lamine Yamal, who missed Spain’s World Cup qualifiers this month with a groin injury, is fit ahead of the club’s La Liga 2025-26 clash with Athletic Bilbao at the Camp Nou on Saturday, manager Hansi Flick told reporters.
Yamal, sidelined three times with groin issues since September, is set for a comeback as Barca returns to its home ground after two-and-a-half years, with the club reopening the partially renovated Camp Nou with a reduced capacity.
“He worked very hard these two weeks and I’m really happy (with) what I see,” Flick said on Friday about the 18-year-old Yamal, who was released from Spain’s squad on November 11.
Raphinha, out since September with a hamstring injury, is also set to be back, but fellow forward Marcus Rashford is a doubt for Saturday after coming down with a fever, Flick added.
Barcelona is happy to return to the Camp Nou for the first time since May 2023, the German coach said.
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The Catalans played their home matches over the last two seasons at the Olympic Stadium, where Flick led them to the league title in his debut campaign in 2024-25.
The squad held an open training session at the Camp Nou on November 7.
“I think we prefer to play in Camp Nou … when we were at the training and I went up the stairs and reached the pitch it was an unbelievable feeling,” Flick said.
“It can give us a really big push in the match because it’s very close and the fans … know exactly when the team needs this push,” he added.
Second-placed Barca is three points behind Real Madrid in the Spanish top-flight and stands 11th in the Champions League, where it visits Chelsea on Tuesday.
“Game-by-game, this is what we want to do. I know that it’s a long, long way till the end of May … we never have doubts about what we want to do, how we want to play and reach our goals,” Flick said.
“Last season was the same … we have to look into ourselves and we have to give our best performance in every match,” he added.
Published on Nov 21, 2025
