Flick talks Raphinha, Lamine, De Jong, Lewandowski, Rashford ahead of Atletico Madrid vs Barcelona | OneFootball

With the international break done and dusted, FC Barcelona are back in action tomorrow as they take on Atletico Madrid on Saturday night in La Liga.

It will be the first of three games that the Blaugrana play against Diego Simeone’s men in the space of ten days.

With Real Madrid only four points behind and playing Mallorca earlier in the day, Barça have no room for error going up against the Colchoneros. Moreover, building momentum will be key before facing them again in the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals.

Ahead of the blockbuster encounter at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano tomorrow, Barcelona manager Hansi Flick addressed the media in his pre-match press conference.

Kicking things off, the German tactician acknowledged the challenge of facing Simeone’s Atletico, saying:

“We’re facing one of the best teams in LaLiga and in Europe. They have a lot of quality and players capable of deciding the game on their own.

“We can’t repeat the mistakes from the last match. Even so, I’ve seen the team playing very well and very focused.”

Flick then lamented the injury to key winger Raphinha, who will be out for more than a month after hurting his hamstring while playing for Brazil.

“There are no guilty parties. It’s an injury, and that’s part of football; we have to accept it. It hasn’t come at the best time, which saddens us, and now we’ll have to see how we manage it,” he said, regarding Raphinha’s injury.

Talking more about the situation, Flick added: “The players are away with their national teams, and the rest of the team also has days off. It’s not the first injury we’ve had this season.

“I spoke with him and saw he was feeling down, so I decided to give him a few days off. He’s in good hands. It was my decision for him to stay in Brazil with his family. In this case, we opted to do things differently.”

The Barcelona head coach then spoke out in support of Lamine Yamal and his message against racism after the unsavoury incident during Spain’s friendly against Egypt.

“I think his message was very clear. We live and breathe football every day, and we must promote values ​​of integration and inclusion. It’s frustrating that a minority doesn’t understand this. We need to reflect and work to improve this situation,” Flick said.

“There is no place for racism, not in football, not in life. Never. We must all be in this together and respect each other, regardless of skin colour, religion, or origin.”

Talking about the fitness situation in the squad, Flick confirmed that Frenkie de Jong will be unavailable, but Alejandro Balde, Jules Kounde, and Eric Garcia are back.

“The good news is that Balde and Kounde are back, as is Eric. In Frenkie’s case, we’ll have to wait a little longer; perhaps he can start training next week. We’ll take it one step at a time,” he stated.

No Frenkie de Jong for Barcelona. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

The German tactician also made sure to highlight the importance of La Masia, with players like Xavi Espart and Tommy Marques emerging as options for the first team this season.

“It’s fantastic. When you see what’s going on around you, with thousands of players developing, you understand the impact football has,” he said.

“La Masia’s philosophy is incredible and is key to the players’ growth throughout the competitions. Everyone on my team feels that passion for competing, and La Masia is doing many things very well.”

With Raphinha out, Marcus Rashford becomes the logical choice to start on the left flank. Talking about the Englishman’s level, Flick said:

“I’m happy with Marcus; he’s performing well. He’s had some physical problems in recent weeks, but now’s an opportunity for him.”

At the same time, he did not rule out other options for the left wing, saying: “We also have other options like Fermin [Lopez] or Gavi, who’s playing at a very high level. We’ll see what we decide, because we have several choices.”

On Robert Lewandowski, who was unable to help Poland qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Flick added:

“Robert played in both matches for his national team. He’s understandably disappointed about missing the World Cup, but now he’s fully focused on us and what the team needs.”

Regarding the condition of the pitch at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano, where players have complained of slipping regularly, Flick noted:

“The players choose their own cleats. They have to be prepared for potential slips and adapt to the conditions. Ultimately, both teams play on the same pitch.”

Having been in attendance for Barça Femeni’s 6-0 triumph over Real Madrid Femenino in the Women’s Champions League last night, Flick lauded the team’s performance, saying:

“I enjoyed it immensely and I really appreciate what I saw. It’s another level. Barça competed in an outstanding way technically, physically, and tactically, and showed they dominate the game. I loved it.”

Concluding, Flick once again highlighted the quality that Atletico possess, saying: “They’re always tough to play against. They have one of the best coaches in the world and a very talented squad. I like what they do.

“Players like Griezmann make the difference; he seems to play with incredible ease. Plus, they have a fantastic atmosphere in their stadium, which makes it even more challenging.”

Source: AS