Why isn’t Lamine Yamal playing for Spain in its final pre-World Cup friendly against Peru?

worldsoccertalk.com · 2 months ago

Spain is facing Peru as its last rival prior to the 2026 World Cup, but Lamine Yamal won't be featuring in the game. Spain will square off against Peru on Monday, June 8, in their final international friendly before the kickoff of the 2026 World Cup at Estadio Cuauhtemoc in Puebla, Mexico. While entering the tournament as one of the clear title favorites, questions continue to swirl regarding the status of star Lamine Yamal and his availability for the match. Lamine Yamal will sit out the clash against Peru, as the Barcelona forward continues to rehab a hamstring injury in his left leg. The discomfort sidelined the 18-year-old winger during the final stretch of the club season with the Blaugrana, and that will remain the case for Spain’s pre-World Cup tune-ups. The attacker already missed last Thursday’s friendly against Iraq, where La Roja turned in a sluggish performance in a 1-1 draw at Estadio Riazor in La Coruña, bidding farewell to their home fans before traveling to North America. In that matchup, manager Luis de la Fuente deployed Ferran Torres on the right flank, who accounted for Spain’s lone goal. The ultimate goal for the Spanish national team is to have Yamal fit enough to feature in their World Cup opener against Cape Verde on Monday, June 15. The winger is expected to see limited minutes against both the African nation and Saudi Arabia, with the final group-stage clash against Uruguay targeted as the timeline for his return to Spain’s starting XI. Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams and Victor Munoz of Spain. More stars sidelined for Spain Beyond Yamal, Spain will also be without the services of both Víctor Muñoz and Nico Williams for the match against Peru. All three players remained at Spain’s World Cup base camp in Chattanooga, Tennessee, to focus on their respective rehabilitation programs, and they issued a joint message to Mexican fans expressing their excitement to meet them for the Uruguay game. Upon arriving at Estadio Cuauhtémoc, De la Fuente updated reporters on the status of the players who didn’t make the trip: “All three are within the timeframe to be able to arrive in good condition to play on the 15th; we don’t know the exact minutes, but Lamine’s injury was different from Nico’s and Victor’s. Each one has their own process and duration, but the most important thing is that within the parameters we have, they can be met for the 15th—they will be met so that they are with us in a position to be lined up at some point during the match.” Projected lineups for Spain and Peru Spain’s projected lineup (4-3-3): David Raya; Marcos Llorente, Pau Cubarsi, Aymeric Laporte, Marc Cucurella; Pedri, Rodri, Fabian Ruiz; Ferran Torres, Mikel Oyarzabal, Dani Olmo.Head coach: Luis De La Fuente. Peru’s projected lineup (4-2-3-1): Pedro Gallese; Oliver Sonne, Renzo Garces, Fabio Gruber, Marcos Lopez; Andre Carrillo, Erick Noriega; Kenji Cabrera, Jairo Velez, Jairo Concha; Adrian Ugarriza.Head coach: Mano Menezes.