Barcelona star Lamine Yamal would be motivated by criticism ahead of the Clasico, Barcelona assistant coach Marcus Sorg said yesterday.
Teenage winger Yamal has been in the spotlight in the Spanish capital after joking that Real Madrid “steal” and “complain” during an appearance on a social media stream.
Champions Barca face Real Madrid today in La Liga at the Santiago Bernabeu, looking for a fifth consecutive win over their rivals.
Photo: EPA
“Lamine is a top player and I think [the criticism] will be motivating for him,” Sorg told a news conference. “I hope we all see him tomorrow [give] the best performance.”
The 18-year-old Spain international would be up against Madrid left-back Alvaro Carreras, whom he struggled against at times last season as Barcelona faced Benfica on three occasions in the UEFA Champions League.
“Lamine is always motivated, and if I remember right, we won all three games against Benfica,” Sorg said.
Flick is suspended for the game after a red card last weekend during their win over Girona, with Sorg taking over duties on the touchline.
“Honestly, Hansi is always missed if he is not there because he’s the most important part of the team,” Sorg said.
“It’s a disadvantage, of course, [but] it’s the same as [missing] players, we have to deal with it. Everyone knows what he expects, and I think we will do it.”
Barcelona would be without winger Raphinha, who has experienced a setback in his return from a hamstring injury.
“Raphinha — every team would miss him, but it is how it is, we have enough players and have to deal with it,” the assistant coach said.
Jules Kounde trained yesterday after a knock and might be fit enough to feature against Madrid, along with Ferran Torres, Sorg said.
Barcelona have several other players ruled out through injury, including Robert Lewandowski, Dani Olmo and Gavi.
Heading into today’s fixture, Real Madrid sit top of the table with 24 points, two ahead of second-placed Barcelona on 22.
Additional reporting by staff writer
A seven-year-old horse had to be euthanized on Friday after breaking its back on the final fence of a Grand National steeplechase race that it won despite sustaining the serious injury. It follows the death of four horses at the Cheltenham Festival last month — including one after the prestigious Gold Cup. Gold Dancer was competing in the Mildmay Novices’ Chase during Ladies Day at Aintree’s Grand National Festival. The horse managed to cross the finish line approximately four lengths ahead of runner-up Regent’s Stroll. “The winner of our second race of the day, Gold Dancer, was pulled up after
Taiwanese gymnast Tang Chia-hung on Sunday topped the men’s horizontal bar event at the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) World Cup in Osijek, Croatia, scoring 15.233 to take his third title this season. Tang delivered an outstanding performance in the final, earning a difficulty score of 6.500 and an execution score of 8.633 with a 0.1 stick bonus. His closest competitor was Milad Karimi of Kazakhstan, who finished second with 14.933 points. It was Tang’s third gold medal in the FIG World Cup series this year, following his horizontal bar wins in Azerbaijan on March 8, and in Turkey on March
The Daredevils yesterday took eight catches in the final as they eked out a victory in the Taiwan Cricket Triangular Tournament against PCCT at Yingfeng Cricket Ground in Taipei’s Songshan District. PCCT’s batting lineup collapsed after they asked the Daredevils to bowl in the T20 decider of the weekend tournament that also involved the Formosa Cricket Club. PCCT were bundled out for 76 in 16.2 overs against a disciplined Daredevils attack. Ninad Malwade was the top scorer in the innings with 21, but he was among those who offered chances to the fielders. Shane Ferreira and Jason Cameron took three wickets each, with
This year’s Taiwan Athletics Open, which offers Taiwanese athletes an opportunity to compete against their international peers, would be held under a new name after its organizers had earlier announced the event’s cancelation. In a statement issued yesterday, the Chinese Taipei Athletics Association said the competition would still take place on June 6-7 at Banciao Stadium, but under the name “New Taipei City Athletics Open 2026.” The event was given a new name to emphasize its local identity and conform with the international practice of naming World Athletics Tour events after cities, the association said. It said it would soon
RSS