Barcelona manager Hansi Flick has called on his players to quickly recover from their midweek Champions League semi-final elimination and focus on securing a crucial victory against Real Madrid in Sunday’s La Liga Clasico.
The Catalans currently lead the Spanish top flight by four points, with their arch-rivals and defending champions Real Madrid trailing them as the season nears its end, with just four matches remaining.
Barcelona’s European dreams were dashed on Tuesday, as they were knocked out by Inter Milan, ending any hopes of securing a potential quadruple. Speaking at a press conference on Saturday, Flick emphasized the importance of addressing the emotional impact of the setback.
“We spoke about what they (the players) are thinking, what they are feeling, it’s important in a group that we speak about that,” Flick said.
Ahead of the Clasico, he reminded his team of the high standards required for such a high-stakes encounter. “Everyone knows that in a Clasico you have to be on your highest level, that’s what we have to do,” he continued.
Flick made it clear that Barcelona’s objective is to maintain their intensity and dominance on the pitch. “We want to be active, we want to see the team (play) with intensity on the pitch, dominant as normal, and we know it’s a really fantastic team from Real (against us),” he added.
Barcelona have enjoyed a perfect record in their three previous Clasicos this season. They started with an emphatic 4-0 win at the Santiago Bernabeu in October, followed by a 5-2 thrashing of Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup final in January. The Catalans then triumphed 3-2 in an intense extra-time finish during the Copa del Rey final in April.
Even if Barcelona were to lose on Sunday, they would remain top of the La Liga table by a single point. However, Flick is determined to extend their Clasico dominance.
“We always go into the match to win the match, doesn’t matter about the table,” he affirmed.
