Flick concerned as Barcelona duo ruled out vs Valencia and two key stars carrying knocks | OneFootball

The first international break of the 2025/26 season is already causing some concerns for FC Barcelona.

The reigning La Liga champions have not been at their brilliant best atthe start of the season, and dropped points against Rayo Vallecano just before the international window, leading to major disappointment.

Since then, the Catalans have had to deal with some fitness issues to important players, piling on their worries ahead of next week’s La Liga game vs Valencia.

Gavi, Balde out; Lamine, De Jong dealing with knocks

Indeed, according to Mundo Deportivo, Hansi Flick is growing concerned ahead of the game against Valencia as two of his players have been ruled out of the contest and two more are dealing with minor knocks.

Indeed, the German coach will not be able to count on Gavi and Alejandro Balde, both of whom are sidelined with injuries. Now the worries extend to Frenkie de Jong and Lamine Yamal.

Lamine and De Jong picked up knocks on international duty. (Photo by Aitor Alcalde/Getty Images)

Gavi, who missed the trip to Rayo Vallecano through a knee injury, was expected to return next week. But the knee discomfort has not eased fully, and as such is set to miss the first home game of the season.

Meanwhile, Balde suffered a hamstring injury while training earlier this week at Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper, which is set to keep him out for three weeks – thus ruling him out of the game as well.

On top of that, Frenkie de Jong has returned to Barcelona after the first international match with the Netherlands. The Dutch national team released him from the squad ahead of their second match against Lithuania due to discomfort in his gluteal muscle.

De Jong started against Poland earlier this week and ended up playing around 80 minutes before Ronald Koeman had to take him off due to the aforementioned issue.

As for Lamine, he has been suffering from slight back discomfort since last weekend. The Spanish national team insists his issue is minor, after Luis de la Fuente rested him for the final minutes of the game against Bulgaria earlier this week.

However, the youngster already experienced lumbar problems in the La Liga match against Rayo Vallecano. As such, there are lingering concerns over his fitness as well.