Barcelona manager confirms defensive absence for Atletico Madrid, explains Pedri match plan | OneFootball

Barcelona manager Hansi Flick has given updates on the fitness of three key players ahead of their top of the table clash with Atletico Madrid. Los Rojiblancos arrive at Camp Nou as the form side in La Liga, just three points behind Barcelona.

Ahead of the clash, much of the focus of his pre-match press conference was on images of Flick looking disconsolate on the Barcelona bench after a win over Alaves. When the focus shifted to Atletico, Flick said he was a fan of Diego Simeone’s side.

“We must play at our best against a great team. They are one of the best teams in Europe, with great quality, and they have improved with the summer transfer window. I like watching them play because they are very good in attack… although we also have quality and our task is to demonstrate it.”

Ronald Araujo to miss Atletico Madrid clash

Against Alaves, Barcelona were without Ronald Araujo, due to a stomach bug, although Flick admitted that was not in the best mindset after being sent off against Chelsea. That reamined the case. On the other hand, Raphinha did not complete training on Monday, but will be fit to play.

“Raphinha is ready, but Araujo isn’t ready to play yet. We’ve been working with Raphinha; he only did the rondo and then stopped. I’m confident he can play the whole match. Ronald isn’t ready; it’s a private matter, and I don’t want to say more. I would ask you to respect their wishes; that’s all I can and will say.”

Image via Justin Setterfield/Getty Images

On Saturday, key midfielder Pedri Gonzalez also returned to action for the first time in a month, recovering from a hamstring injury to play the final half hour. However Flick confirmed that ‘yes, he is ready’ to play the full match. Frenkie de Jong is also expected to be available after missing the game against Alaves due to personal issues.

Flick on Joan Garcia – ‘He will give us a lot for years to come’

Monday morning also saw Barcelona captain Marc-Andre ter Stegen return to training for the first time since back surgery, but Flick did not give much away on hte club’s plans for him.

“This is not the time to talk about this. It’s not a time to play games. We have to wait and take the next steps.”

He was also asked if Joan Garcia was the best goalkeeper he had ever coached, after two match-winning saves against Alaves.

“I coached Neuer and Marc, fantastic goalkeepers. Joan has a great future. From day one, you can see his potential, and he demonstrates it in matches. He has great quality both with his hands and his feet. He’s very quick. It was the right decision for the club. He gives us a lot for the coming years. He brings great security [to the defence].”

Garcia appears to be the de facto number one this season, with ter Stegen linked with an exit in January. The Germany international must decide if he wants to battle with Garcia for the starting spot, or seek a loan in order to pursue the number one spot for his national team at the 2026 World Cup.