Spain’s omission of their most dangerous attacker in Prague was not a fitness call. It was a choice. On Friday, De la Fuente said Yamal had been physically able to feature in the 2-0 win over Czech Republic, but the risk was not worth taking with the England match 72 hours away, according to Goal.
“We have good news. Lamine Yamal is in excellent condition and is eager to join the camp tomorrow. Mikel too,” the Spain coach told reporters.
Spain had already clinched the group’s top spot in all but mathematics. Alex Baena’s first-half penalty and a Marc Pubill goal deep in stoppage time sealed a fifth straight Nations League win against a ten-man Czech side reduced by Ladislav Krejci’s 69th-minute red card.
## The knee problem started at Barcelona
Yamal had picked up discomfort in his right knee during Barcelona’s recent La Liga meeting with Atlético Madrid. Follow-up tests, including an MRI, revealed inflammation and fluid in the joint, and the Spain and Barcelona medical teams agreed he would recover in the city rather than fly to Prague without any guarantee he could play.
De la Fuente had used almost the same wording earlier in the week. There was no point making the player travel without certainty of being available, he told reporters before the Czech trip, according to beIN Sports. By Friday, with Yamal on his way to the camp, that gamble had paid off.
## Oyarzabal back from flu, not just paternity
Mikel Oyarzabal will also rejoin the group. The Real Sociedad forward had missed the Prague fixture with flu after a late call-up that followed the birth of his child, De la Fuente said. Both players are set to take part in two training sessions before kick-off, and the coach stressed that Yamal, like the rest of the squad, would get no privileged treatment.
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Sunday’s meeting at the Metropolitano Stadium in Madrid kicks off at 8:45pm local time and decides UEFA Nations League A Group 3. Spain top the group on 15 points from a perfect five matches; England sit on 12. Both nations have already secured their place in the quarter-finals, but the group winner avoids a first-seeded opponent in the knockout draw.
De la Fuente framed the fixture in the biggest terms he could find.
“Given the level of the two teams, we expected the match to be like a World Cup final or a European Championship final.”
Barcelona’s next league fixture, against Villarreal on 22 November, is on the horizon for a club watching closely how Yamal’s weekend goes.
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