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La Blaugrana boss Hansi Flick has provided an important injury update ahead of tomorrow’s highly anticipated El Clasico LaLiga match between Barcelona and Real Madrid. The German tactician revealed that two of Barcelona’s key players, Robert Lewandowski and Alejandro Balde, are unlikely to start the match.
Lewandowski and Balde have both been an integral part of a dominant Barcelona side this season. The former currently leads the race for the Pichichi while the latter has also had a strong season, making 43 appearances and starting 39 of them.
The Polish striker picked up an injury during a league match against Celta Vigo in April and sat out four games for the Catalan club. He returned to action as a substitute in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League semi-finals against Inter Milan on Tuesday.
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Balde has been out of action since April and has sat out seven games. In what was music to the ears of La Blaugrana faithful, the left-back was declared fit alongside Marc Casado some hours ago. It was added that the duo are available for selection by Flick for the match against Real Madrid.
Speaking to the media in the pre-match press conference, Flick said (via Fabrizio Romano):
“I don't think either Balde or Lewandowski will start El Clásico, maybe they will get minutes in the second half. Gerard Martin is doing very well.”
Flick added that 'Szczesny would start in goal despite Marc-Andre ter Stegen’s return from injury.
"We need to show that confidence" – Hansi Flick on Barcelona’s mindset ahead of Real Madrid clash
Barcelona suffered a heartbreak on Tuesday as they exited the Champions League after losing to Inter Milan in San Siro. Ahead of tomorrow’s game, Flick admitted that the loss to the Serie A giants hurt but urged his side to display confidence in the remaining league games.
The Barca boss said (via Barca Universal):
“We’re doing well, after the defeat in Milan everyone knows it’s not easy, but we’re doing things well. We have talked about what we want to do in these two weeks. We have four games and a Clasico to show how well we can play. We need to show that confidence about what we want to display.”
He added:
“We have spoken to the players to find out their feelings, we do it openly. In a game like the Clasico, we have to be at 100%, active, with intensity, dominant. They [Real Madrid] are a fantastic team, but we are playing at home. At every moment of the game, the fans know what we need.”
Barcelona leads Real Madrid by four points at the top of the league table after 34 matches. Tomorrow’s match will make it the fourth time that the two sides have faced each other this season.
