Barcelona's Flick reveals his El Clásico plans

Barcelona manager Hansi Flick confirmed that Robert Lewandowski and Alejandro Balde will be in the squad for Sunday’s league-deciding El Clásico against Real Madrid, but both are expected to begin the match on the bench.

Balde — along with midfielder Marc Casadó — was passed fit by the medical staff on Saturday and will be named in the 23-man squad for the game after recovering from a hamstring injury, and Lewandowski already has 30 minutes under his belt following his return against Inter Milan.

Flick was asked if he plans on starting the two players against Los Blancos, and his response made it clear he won’t risk them from the beginning and will count on them as second half substitutes, with Gerard Martín likely to start at left-back once again.

"I don’t think I’ll count on them at the start. I think Gerard Martín and the rest of the players are doing very well, and after the injury, things are a little different. After this game, we have three more. Maybe they’ll get minutes in the second half," he said.

Hansi was also asked about the team’s morale after the heartbreaking European exit against Inter Milan, and sounded confident and positive about the state of his squad ahead of a crucial game that could very well decide the La Liga 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," he said.

"There are four games. El Clásico is important; we have to show how well we can play. We have to show confidence. The players are doing very well."

Barcelona will move within three points of the La Liga title with a victory over Real Madrid.

They have won all three Clásico meetings this season, having only once beaten their rivals in four consecutive competitive games.

Kylian Mbappé has scored 36 goals for Real Madrid this season, and needs just one more to equal the best scoring record for a player in their first season with the club.