Lamine Yamal cleared to face England as Spain target group-topping win

Spain manager Luis de la Fuente has confirmed that Lamine Yamal will return to the squad in time to face England on Sunday in a decisive UEFA Nations League – Path One fixture.

The Barcelona forward will join his team-mates on Saturday after a week of medical checks, uncertainty and debate over his availability. Mikel Oyarzabal is also expected to return, with both players due to train at Las Rozas at 19:00.

Yamal remained in Barcelona after experiencing slight inflammation in his right knee. An MRI scan showed inflammation and fluid build-up in the joint, leading the medical staff to decide that he should receive treatment there rather than travel to Prague for Spain’s 2-0 victory over Czechia.

De la Fuente said Yamal could have played against Czechia, but that the risk was not worthwhile with the meeting with England approaching.

“Lamine is in excellent condition and eager to join the camp tomorrow,” said De la Fuente after Spain’s win. “Mikel is also feeling better. One will arrive at midday and the other shortly afterwards, but both will be with us tomorrow.”

The coach, who has monitored Yamal’s condition throughout the week, added: “Lamine is happy to be returning to the team.”

Yamal’s delayed arrival had prompted some controversy, but De la Fuente insisted the 18-year-old had not been given preferential treatment.

“Lamine does not have any special privileges,” he said. “He will complete two training sessions before the match.” De la Fuente has already indicated that the Barcelona player is likely to start against England.

Oyarzabal’s absence from the Prague match was unrelated to football. “Mikel Oyarzabal was late because he became a father, and he missed the Prague game because of flu,” said De la Fuente.

Spain secured a fourth consecutive victory in Prague through an Alex Baena penalty and Marc Pubill’s goal in the final minute of stoppage time. The result left them with a perfect 15 points from 15.

Reflecting on the match, De la Fuente said Czechia had posed the problems Spain expected.

“As we predicted, we faced an attacking team that used its physical advantage and quality at set-pieces, which put our defence under pressure,” he said. “We missed chances that we do not usually miss, while they exploited weaknesses near their penalty area to launch counter-attacks. If we had taken some of our opportunities, the game would have been calmer. We only relaxed once the score was 2-0.”

Spain’s manager expects Sunday’s encounter in Madrid to resemble a major tournament final, with the two sides competing to finish top of the group.

“Given the level of both teams, we expected the match to be like a World Cup or European Championship final,” he said. “Either team can win. It is an opportunity to watch two of the best teams in the world, and we want to maintain this momentum and winning run.”