BARCELONA: Hansi Flick called on his Barcelona players to brush off their Champions League semi-final elimination and bounce back strongly against title rivals Real Madrid on Sunday in a vital La Liga Clasico.

Barca — who suffered a 4-3 Champions League semi-final defeat by Inter Milan on Tuesday ending dreams of a potential quadruple — lead the Spanish top-flight by four points over second-placed defending champions Real.

With four matches left in the season, a home win on Sunday would move Flick’s side one victory away from their 28th Spanish league title.

“We’re doing well. After the defeat in Milan, everyone knows it’s not easy... but we’re doing things right. We’ve talked about what we want to do in these two weeks,” Flick told reporters on Saturday.

“There are four more games to go. El Clasico is important, we have to show how well we can play. We have to show confidence. The players are doing very well... We’ve been talking about what they are thinking, what they are feeling.

“We had to talk about it as a group. Everyone knows that in a Clasico you have to be on your highest level, that’s what we have to do. 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].”

Barca have conceded 10 goals in their last four games across all competitions, leading to questions over their solidity and the team’s use of a high line when defending.

They have beaten Real in all three Clasicos played this season, beginning with a 4-0 win in La Liga at the Santiago Bernabeu in October. The Catalans then thrashed Madrid 5-2 in the Spanish Super Cup final in January and edged them 3-2 in extra-time in the Copa del Rey final in April.

‘COMPLETE GAME’

Even if Barca lost they would still be top of the table by a point, and Real coach Carlo Ancelotti said on Saturday that his side will need to play a complete game to defeat the league leaders.

“In this type of game you have to do things well. Barcelona are used to keeping the opponent in their own area, but no team is perfect,” the Italian told a news conference.

“It’s a game where there’s a lot at stake and to win you have to manage everything well, defend well, attack well. We have to play a complete game.

“The last games against Barcelona have been difficult and tricky, but the last one has given us the confidence that we can win tomorrow.”

With so much at stake against their great rivals, Ancelotti will have little trouble getting his players fired up.

“It’s not difficult to motivate the players because it’s the type of match for which the players already come out motivated and with a lot of confidence,” he said. “Playing with Barc­elona is special. It will be the last ‘El Clasico’ of the season because Barca are not in the Club World Cup.”

Published in Dawn, May 11th, 2025