Barcelona take top spot aim to Valencia with Lamine Yamal and Gabriel Jesus available

Barcelona can move clear at the top of La Liga when they visit Valencia at Mestalla on Sunday, with Hansi Flick receiving encouraging news about Lamine Yamal’s fitness and naming Gabriel Jesus in his squad for the first time.

Flick’s side have won all three of their opening league matches and sit on nine points. They now have the opportunity to make it four victories in a row and claim sole possession of first place after Real Madrid were beaten 1-0 by Real Betis.

Barcelona’s squad is close to full strength for the difficult away fixture, with Frenkie de Jong and Roony Bardghji the only absentees. Yamal did not train with the rest of the team in the final session before the match, but the club have been reassured that the winger is ready to be involved at Mestalla.

Flick has named a provisional 24-man squad and will leave one player out before kick-off. The group includes Joan Garcia, Joao Cancelo, Dalu, Farinas, Al Kobarion, Gavi, Fermin Lopez, Pedri, Gabriel Jesus, Lamine Yamal, Raphinha, Espart, Wojciech Szczesny, Karim Adeyemi, Andreas Christensen, Rodri, Gordon, Gerard Martin, Dani Olmo, Bernal, Jules Kounde, Eric Garcia, Dominik Livakovic and Hamza.

Gavi returns after recovering from the knee knock he suffered during his first league appearance of the season against Elche. The injury initially caused concern at Barcelona, although subsequent examinations confirmed that it was not serious.

The match will also provide the first opportunity for Livakovic and Gabriel Jesus to be included in Barcelona’s matchday squad. The Brazilian forward has completed his training programme with the first-team group under Flick and is now available for selection.

Livakovic, meanwhile, is expected to serve as back-up to Joan Garcia in goal.

Barcelona will therefore travel to Valencia with the prospect of strengthening their position at the summit, while Flick must decide which one of the 24 selected players will miss out before the final squad is confirmed. The availability of Yamal and the return of Gavi offer further encouragement to a side seeking to maintain its perfect start to the Spanish league campaign.