Barcelona suffer Lamine Yamal injury scare before Atletico Madrid semi-final

Barcelona forward Lamine Yamal reportedly did not take part in the team's final full training session before they host Atletico Madrid on Tuesday night, putting his involvement in the Copa del Rey semi-final very much in doubt.

Yamal was not at his best during Barcelona's laboured trip to Las Palmas on Saturday night, often cutting a frustrated figure when faced with the hosts' robust approach to marking him. The teenager still managed to create the opening which led to Dani Olmo's second-half opener in what eventually proved to be a 2-0 win.

After the match, Yamal posted a picture of a blood-soaked sock on social media with the message: "It's not a foul" - a pointed critique of the referee's decision to overlook a particularly forceful tackle. Just a matter of days earlier, he had passionately defended La Liga's officials.

Barcelona held a training session on Monday morning as part of their final preparation for the visit of Atletico but Yamal was not involved, according to SPORT. The Spanish publication revealed that the 17-year-old was forced to work individually inside the gym to avoid damaging his foot any further.

However, this injury has been described as a "small setback" and Yamal is expected to feature against Atletico in some capacity. Hansi Flick will be desperate for his prodigious winger to be fit enough to start on Tuesday night.

The Catalan giants have lined up against Spanish opposition without Yamal in the starting XI on six different occasions this season. Barcelona's only victory during this sequence was against fourth-tier UD Barbastro in the third round of the Copa del Rey.

While Celta Vigo earned a 2-2 draw, Osasuna, Real Sociedad, Las Palmas and their upcoming opponents Atletico Madrid have all defeated a Yamal-less Barcelona this season.

Diego Simeone's title challengers earned a 2-1 victory when they faced off in the league last December as Yamal was sidelined with an ankle injury, ending a staggering sequence of Catalan heartbreak for the legendary Argentine coach. Simeone had never previously beaten Barcelona at their home ground across 17 prior trips to the north east of Spain.

Tuesday's clash with Atletico is the first half of a two-legged Copa del Rey semi-final, with the reverse fixture in Madrid scheduled for Wednesday 2 April.

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