Lamine Yamal of Barcelona to Miss 3-4 Weeks Due to Ankle Injury
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Barcelona, Dec 16 (NationPress) Lamine Yamal sustained a significant injury to his right ankle during the 0-1 defeat against CD Leganes on Sunday. Medical examinations conducted on Monday have confirmed that the player has a grade 1 injury to the anterior tibiofibular ligament in his ankle, and he is anticipated to be unavailable for 3 to 4 weeks.
Yamal has scored six goals and provided 11 assists this season, ranking him third on Barcelona's list of top scorers, following Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha. Additionally, Yamal stands as the third-highest assist provider thus far in Europe’s top five leagues.
The timing of Yamal’s injury is particularly unfortunate for Barcelona, as the team had a substantial lead over title contenders Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid. However, their recent performance has declined sharply, having secured only one victory in their last six league matches, which has allowed Atletico to equal their points total, with Real trailing by just one point.
Despite the recent struggles in the league, this type of setback is not uncommon in La Liga. In the 2018/19 season under Ernesto Valverde, the Blaugrana experienced a four-match winless streak in September and October, but still went on to win the title that season. Similarly, in the 2015/16 season, Luis Enrique's team faced defeats against Real Madrid, Real Sociedad, and Valencia, alongside a draw with Villarreal during March and April, yet they were crowned champions.
Even during the treble-winning campaign of 2008/09, Barcelona encountered difficulties in La Liga, as Pep Guardiola's squad lost to Espanyol and Atletico Madrid in February and drew against Betis, with their only victory in the final six matches being a remarkable 6-2 triumph at the Santiago Bernabeu against Real Madrid.
There is no doubt that Barcelona is currently facing a challenging phase in the league, but their aspirations for the title remain very much alive.
Barcelona’s next match will be against title rivals Atletico Madrid on December 22, marking their last game of the year.
