Lamine Yamal Lights Up the Barca-Espanyol Derby Hype: Return Sparks Blaugrana Hope
2 January 2026
Derby Day Training and Yamal\'s Status
Barcelona completed its final training session ahead of Saturday's derby with Espanyol as part of La Liga's matchday 18 schedule.
Lamine Yamal, the Catalan club's star winger, had sparked concern after missing Thursday's practice due to illness, fueling doubts about his derby availability.
According to Mundo Deportivo, Yamal trained normally with the rest of the squad, after feeling unwell on the first day of the year and missing the session, but he returned to action.
He is set to be included in the Blaugrana's squad to face Espanyol tomorrow.
Return of Key Players and Barca's Position
The comeback is good news for Barça fans hoping to see him in the Supercopa de España, where Barça will begin the tournament by facing Athletic Bilbao in the semi-finals on January 7.
In the same update, defender Ronald Araujo trained normally, as did Dani Olmo, along with reserve-team players Geoffrey, Dro, and Tomi Márquez.
Barça currently sits atop La Liga with 46 points from 18 games, four points ahead of second-placed Real Madrid.
Punchline 1: If pace were a crime, Lamine would be serving life—Barcelona edition.
Punchline 2: Barça's defense is so tight, even their jokes stay offside.
