Barcelona Manager Hansi Flick has given updates on the fitness of three top players ahead of their clash with Athletic 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 the footage of the flick’s appearance on the Barcelona bench after the Awave win. When the focus shifted to Atletico, Flick said he was a fan of Diego Simeone’s.
“We have to play as much as we can with a big team. They are one of the best teams in Europe, with good quality, and they have improved in the summer transfer window. But we have quality and our job is to show it.”
Ronald Araujo to Miss Atletico Madrid Clash
Against Alaves, Barcelona did not have Ronald Araujo, due to a stomach bug, although Flick admitted that it was not in the best mind after being sent to Chelsea. That revived the case. On the other hand, Raphinha did not finish training on Monday, but he will be ready to play.
“Raphinha is good, but Araujo is not ready to play with Raphinha; only Rondo was willing to use it.” That’s all I can say. “
On Saturday, key midfielder Pedri Gonzalez returned to practice for the first time in a month, recovering from a hamstring injury to play half an hour. However, the flick confirmed that ‘Yes, he is ready’ to play the full game. Frenkie de Jong is also expected to be available after missing the game against the games due to personal problems.
Flick for Joan Garcia – ‘You’ll give us more 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 Fick did not provide much help to the HTE team’s plans.
“This is not the time to talk about this. This is not the time to play games. We have to wait and take the next steps.”
Gerard Martín’s results playing as a Center-Back have been promising. @gbsans
– Barcantre (@barcacentre) December 1, 2025
He was also asked if Joan Garcia was the best goalscorer he had ever coached, after winning several saves.
“I taught Neuer and Marc, very good goals. Joan has a big future. From the first day, you can see the quickness of his hands and feet. He shows us a lot. He gives us a lot of security to come. He brings a lot of security [to the defence]. “
Garcia is seen as the de facto number one this season, with ter Stegen linked with a January exit. The Germany International must decide whether he wants to fight Garcia for a starting spot, or seek a loan move to pursue a place in his World Cup squad.
