Lamine Yamal Fit to Face England as De la Fuente Denies He Gets Special Treatment Before Madrid Group Decider

MADRID — Lamine Yamal has been cleared to face England in Sunday's Nations League group decider, after the Barcelona star recovered from a knee problem that kept him out of Spain's win over the Czech Republic.

Spain coach Luis de la Fuente confirmed the 19-year-old forward would rejoin the squad Friday and be available for the match at the Metropolitano Stadium in Madrid on Sunday, Nov. 15.

"He's available and he's joining us today," De la Fuente said.

The coach also brushed off suggestions that Yamal had received preferential treatment by being allowed to recover in Barcelona rather than travel with the national team.

Knee inflammation sidelined Yamal

Yamal missed Spain's 2-0 victory over the Czech Republic in Prague on Thursday because of discomfort in his right knee. It was the first game he had missed for club or country this season.

The problem stemmed from a knock during his recent Barcelona duty. He played in Barcelona's 2-1 La Liga win over Atlético Madrid on Sunday, and Spain announced Monday that he would not travel to Prague.

De la Fuente explained the injury before the Czech match.

"He got hurt in the last match, he had some discomfort in one knee, he went for the usual treatment, a scan in Barcelona, and they saw he had inflammation and fluid in the knee — that meant he needed rest," he told reporters.

The injury was not considered serious. Instead of joining Spain's camp, Yamal recovered at Barcelona's training complex under the club's physiotherapists, an approach agreed by both medical teams.

"He's doing a series of exercises with his physio and with the club that indicate the recovery is going well," De la Fuente said Wednesday.

'No privileges'

The decision to let Yamal recover in Barcelona drew questions about whether Spain's brightest star was being treated differently from his teammates. De la Fuente rejected that idea firmly.

"Lamine doesn't have any privileges. We would have done the same for any other player," he said.

The coach said the decision was made jointly by both medical staffs and that he personally approved Yamal's staying in Barcelona.

The handling of Yamal's fitness has been sensitive between club and country. Last year, Barcelona coach Hansi Flick publicly criticized Spain's management of Yamal's workload after the forward picked up an injury on international duty.

After Thursday's win in Prague, De la Fuente had good news. "Lamine Yamal is feeling good now and is really looking forward to joining the squad," he said.

Oyarzabal also returns

Spain will also welcome back striker Mikel Oyarzabal, who missed the Czech match after the birth of his second child. Both forwards were expected to train with the squad at the national team's base in Las Rozas, near Madrid, on Friday.

The pair will be key to Spain's attack. Both scored when Spain beat England 3-2 at Wembley in September. Yamal opened the scoring that night and Oyarzabal came off the bench to score the 74th-minute winner.

Yamal has been in outstanding form this season, with 17 goals and 13 assists in 20 games for Barcelona and Spain. He finished third in the Ballon d'Or voting in October.

Top spot on the line

Sunday's match will decide first place in Nations League Group A3. Spain lead with 15 points after winning all five of their games, while England have 12.

A draw would be enough for Spain to finish first. Both teams have already qualified for the quarterfinals, which will be played in March.

Spain's remarkable run

Spain, the world champions, are unbeaten in more than 40 matches, an extraordinary streak dating back to March 2024.

De la Fuente said keeping that run going provides extra motivation. "We want to keep setting new milestones, and this is another one," he said.

He admitted the streak cannot last forever, but said the team wants to extend it. "We want to maintain this momentum going forward and extend this run," he said.

England seek revenge

England, coached by Thomas Tuchel, will be looking to avenge September's defeat at Wembley. In that match, England led 2-1 before captain Harry Kane slipped while taking a second-half penalty and hit the crossbar. Spain rallied to win.

"We couldn't unfortunately convert the penalty, that may have been the decisive moment," Tuchel said after that game.

Tuchel has insisted England can compete with the best. "We will keep on pushing this team," he said in September.

England arrive in strong form. Kane has continued his record-breaking scoring, and Tuchel's side has scored freely in the Nations League. A win in Madrid would bring England level on points with Spain, though Spain would still need to lose to be overtaken.

A marquee meeting

The match brings together two of Europe's strongest teams in a repeat of the Euro 2024 final, which Spain won 2-1 in Berlin. With Yamal back, Spain will be at close to full strength as they try to finish the group with a perfect record.

For England, the trip to Madrid is a test of whether Tuchel's side can finally beat a Spain team that has dominated international football over the past two years.