Barcelona are heading into the most delicate part of their La Liga title defence without Lamine Yamal, and that changes the mood around the run-in straight away. The club said the 18-year-old will miss the final six league matches after injuring a muscle in his left leg during Wednesday’s 1-0 win over Celta Vigo, although Barcelona also expect him to be fit in time for Spain’s World Cup campaign.
That matters because Yamal hasn’t just been another talented teenager in this side. He has been Barcelona’s top scorer and leading assist provider, the sort of player who can make a cagey match suddenly feel simple. His injury came moments after he converted the penalty that sealed the win over Celta, then dropped to the turf clutching the back of his left leg before being substituted.
For now, Barcelona still have breathing room. They hold a nine-point lead over second-placed Real Madrid, with six rounds left, so the margin is real. Still, it’s not comfortable enough for anyone at the club to relax, especially with a Clásico still looming on May 10. Madrid, meanwhile, were due to face Real Betis needing a win to keep the chase alive.
The schedule explains why Yamal’s absence feels so significant. Barcelona’s remaining league fixtures are away to Getafe on April 25, away to Osasuna on May 2, at home to Real Madrid on May 10, away to Alavés on May 13, at home to Real Betis on May 17, and away to Valencia on May 24. On paper, that is manageable. In real life, it’s the sort of stretch where one flat afternoon can drag nerves into the open.
There is also a broader backdrop here: La Liga is now the only major trophy left for either Barcelona or Madrid after both clubs were knocked out in the Champions League quarterfinals. So this run-in is not some side story. It is the season now.
Barcelona may also have to patch together other areas of the team. AP reported that Raphinha and right back João Cancelo were also injury doubts after the Celta match, which means Hansi Flick could be forced into more reshuffling than he would want at this stage. That, honestly, is where the real test begins. Great teams can usually survive one absence. Surviving a cluster of them, with the title line in sight, is a different thing.
And yet Barcelona’s position is still strong. The club’s official standings page showed them on 82 points from 32 matches, nine clear of Real Madrid on 73. So even without Yamal, the equation remains pretty clear: win enough, and the title stays in Barcelona. Slip, and the pressure grows fast.
What Barcelona lose without Yamal is not only production, but unpredictability. He stretches games, attracts extra defenders, and gives the attack a sense of improvisation that can’t be coached into somebody else overnight. Over the next month, Barça do not need to become a different team. They just need to prove they are sturdy enough to finish the job without the boy who so often made the hard parts look easy.
