Flick stresses Barcelona have 'long way to go' after Atlético clash

Barcelona boss Hansi Flick is relishing Sunday’s top-of-the-table clash with Atlético Madrid but is adamant it will not define either side’s La Liga season. Flick’s men will lose top spot with a defeat at the Metropolitano, adding to a tough fortnight which has seen losses to Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid, and a costly injury to star midfielder Rodri. Flick told a press conference on Saturday: “Every match is extremely important. There are three or four very strong teams in the Spanish league, and the gaps between them in the table are extremely close. “Beating Atlético Madrid will be extremely important. We will do our utmost, but we still have a long way to go in the season. We will go there aiming to win, knowing we are facing a very strong team.” Rodri limped off during the midweek Champions League win over Aston Villa, with the club later confirming he has suffered a minor hamstring tear that will keep him out of action for a number of weeks. Questioned about the club’s management of the player, Flick added: “You can always do things better, but in this case I communicated with the player and managed every minute he was on the pitch. “If I speak with an experienced player about their minutes and how we should manage it, and we agree about these things, I think you can do nothing else.” The win over Villa, which followed last week’s thumping domestic success over Alaves, has eased some of Barça’s recent pain, and Flick says recent history against Atlético – who have won their last two encounters, including in last season’s Champions League quarter-final – will not prove a factor. “All that is in the past, and it doesn’t occupy me now,” added Flick, who will pick between Frenkie de Jong and Marc Bernal to partner Pedri in midfield, while Eric Garcia and Andreas Christensen are also back available. Atlético head into the game flying domestically having racked up seven straight wins, but reeling from the disappointment of a midweek Champions League defeat by Bayern Munich. And they will rely on the form of Julian Alvarez, who will play against Barcelona for the first time since attempting to engineer a move to the Catalan giants in the close season. Alvarez was booed by Atlético fans following the saga and has since apologized. Asked about the striker’s mindset, head coach Diego Simeone responded briefly: “He’s doing very good.” Simeone added: “We are facing a very good team, and we aware that we will suffer during a large part of this match.”