FC Barcelona, being on a dominating streak of consecutive wins, would face Real Madrid next at the Santiago Bernabeu. Given the performances the Blaugrana club has shown so far in this La Liga campaign, they in no way enter the fixture as inferiors, if not as the favorites of the matchday. Although Real Madrid has been in brilliant form as well, Barca would want to put in their all to extend their stretch at the tabletop.
Hansi Flick speaks ahead of Barca's important La Liga fixture against Real Madrid
But that won't be any easier, as despite missing two key players, Carlo Ancelotti's side boasts a star-studded lineup, which added to their home advantage in the fixture. With the Galacticos having just produced one of the best comebacks in UCL recently, having key players like Vini Jr. and Mbappe in form, the side would definitely pose one of the toughest challenges for FC Barcelona.
However, Barca boss Flick, as has been doing always, has backed his side once again as they prepare for the upcoming El Clasico. Speaking ahead of the important matchday, Flick mentioned,
""We know what we have to do. As I said after the Bayern game, we have room for improvement. And with every game, we have to adapt. In the end, I believe in my team.""Hansi Flick
So far this season, Barca's play has been highly dominant, with the club illustrating very high pressing in all zones. While some did speculate that such tactics might fail against big teams like Sevilla and Bayern, Hansi Flick and his players have been proving them wrong again and again. Once again, the manager has made it clear that they would continue with the same philosophy while trying their best on the field. Flick said,
""Our philosophy is to press high and try to take the ball away from the opponent. We have to stay compact and close without too much space between the players. We did that well against Bayern.""Hansi Flick
For the upcoming El Clasico, one of the crucial factors influencing the overall result would be how both sides set up their initial XI. While Real Madrid, missing out on Courtois and Rodrygo, would brainstorm on how to fill in proper replacements, Barcelona boss Flick will have major difficulties in choosing his lineup, given the plethora of options they possess in their midfield.
With star players Pedri and Casado being brilliant in the pivot role, he wouldn't want to change them, being forced to start key players Gavi and de Jong on the bench. In fact, even prodigy star Fermin Lopez's place in the starting XI isn't confirmed, despite him being excellent in his debut season start against Bayern. Speaking on whether Fermin will start or not, Flick expressed the uncertainty, saying,
""I haven't decided yet. Fermin had a hand in the goals against Bayern; he pressed well and made a great, quick decision to pass to Raphinha for the first goal. After coming back from injury, he played well against both Sevilla and against Bayern.""Hansi Flick
Definitely, despite having such brilliant talents and Flick being restricted to using only a few, the manager would have a hard time starting the rest of them on the bench. However, Barca fans would hope that whoever starts plays at his 100%, being crucial in the club's overall effort against Real Madrid. Being aware of the high stakes involved in the fixture, FC Barcelona would want to grab the complete 3 points, extending their La Liga lead to 6 points.