Barcelona winger Lamine Yamal, who missed Spain’s World Cup qualifiers this month due to a groin injury, is fit for the club’s LaLiga clash with Athletic Club at Camp Nou on Saturday, manager Hansi Flick confirmed.

The 18-year-old Yamal, sidelined three times since September with groin issues, is poised to make his return as Barcelona plays at their home stadium for the first time in over two-and-a-half years. The partially renovated Camp Nou will reopen with a reduced capacity.

“He worked very hard these two weeks, and I’m really happy with what I see,” Flick said Friday, referring to Yamal, who was released from Spain’s squad on November 11.

Raphinha, out since September with a hamstring injury, is also expected to return. However, fellow forward Marcus Rashford remains a doubt for Saturday after coming down with a fever, Flick added.

The Barcelona squad is thrilled to be back at Camp Nou, the German coach noted. Over the past two seasons, the team played home matches at the Olympic Stadium, where Flick guided them to the LaLiga title in his debut 2024/25 campaign.

The team held an open training session at Camp Nou on November 7.

“I think we prefer to play at Camp Nou… when we were at 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.”

Barcelona sit second in LaLiga, three points behind Real Madrid, and are 11th in the Champions League ahead of their trip to Chelsea on Tuesday.

“Game by game, this is what we want to do. I know it’s a long way until the end of May… we never have doubts about what we want to do, how we want to play, and how to reach our goals,” Flick said. “Last season was the same… we have to look into ourselves and give our best performance in every match.”