Good news for Barça and Hansi Flick. But above all for Eric Garcia and Andreas Christensen. Ahead of Barça's visit to the Metropolitano (8 November, 9pm CET), the German coach has confirmed that both players "will be with the team" for the clash. As for Eric, he added that "he could start, but we'll see tomorrow".

Battle for top spot

"It's a very important game" continued the German coach. "There are three or four excellent teams in La Liga who are very close together in the table. We know Atlético are a fantastic team with a great coach, but we'll give everything to win tomorrow. There's still a long way to go until the end of the league season."

Happy with Bernal and De Jong

With Rodri unavailable, one of the big questions is whether Bernal or De Jong will take his place. "We haven't decided yet. They're both similar. Frenkie perhaps has more experience, but on the ball they both have confidence and conviction. Bernal is also doing brilliantly off the ball. He's always where he needs to be, and I'm very happy with him. And also with Frenkie's return. He's 100% fit and we have to choose the best starting eleven."

Flick doesn't want to dwell on the two knockout ties lost against Atlético last season. "The past isn't relevant. We know they're very good, but we want to win and we have to win. We want to be top of the table during the international break and that's why we've worked hard."

Raphinha's contract renewal

He was also extremely positive about Raphinha's contract renewal, saying "it's the best thing for the club and for him. He's a world-class player, he's our captain. And he's very important for the future of the Club."

Força Barça