Barcelona will battle until the end to win titles, according to head coach Hansi Flick, who said he was unhappy with their current situation as they look to avoid a third consecutive home defeat in LaLiga when they host Atletico Madrid on Saturday.
After a superb start to the season which saw them win 14 of their first 16 matches across all competitions, Barcelona lost their way domestically with Sunday's 1-0 home defeat to 15th-placed Leganes leaving them with one victory in their last six league games. But they remain top of the LaLiga table with 38 points, level with second-placed Atletico and one point ahead of Real Madrid in third, with both their title rivals having a game in hand.
To make matters worse for the Catalan side, Atletico have been in terrific form ahead of the highly-anticipated clash at the Lluis Companys Olympic Stadium, having won their last 11 matches in all competitions.
"What I can feel in the city and the supporters know what the team is like. We lost five important players. (Attacking midfielder) Dani Olmo and (forward) Pau Victor are the (new) signings. The team has improved and is focused," Flick told reporters on Friday. "We are not happy with the situation, but we are going to fight until the end of the season. We want to win titles, but we know it won't be easy. But we want to win, that's what we want to do tomorrow."
The German said there will be little room for error if they are to win against Atletico, but they were ready for the occasion. "It's the end of the year. It's a great game. It's one of the best rivals.
But today is Dec. 20 and we're first in LaLiga and second in the Champions League. We are not bad. We lost some points against Las Palmas (2-1 loss) and Leganes, we have to recover them," Flick added.
"Tomorrow is another game. We have a young team and we have to fight and improve. We want to achieve great things. But we know it won't be easy. We have to start fighting tomorrow. We are playing against great teams."
Barcelona have suffered a blow with winger Lamine Yamal suffering an ankle injury during their loss against Leganes.
The 17-year-old Spain international is expected to be out for three to four weeks. "We have to accept that he is injured and won't be able to play," Flick said.
Simeone is excited
Atletico Madrid's Diego Simeone is currently the longest serving manager in LaLiga but despite winning the league twice, he has yet to achieve a victory away at title rivals Barcelona, a challenge the Argentine is looking forward to on Saturday.
Atletico travel to Barcelona with both teams on 38 points, a situation that seemed unimaginable less than two months ago when Barca were 10 points clear.
Simeone's red-hot side have stitched together an incredible 11-match winning run in all competitions, effectively erasing Barca's lead – with a game in hand – ahead of the final match of the year before the winter break.
"What we've been talking about for a month and a half, the team is working well as a unit, looking for opportunities in each game to hurt the opponent, to compete and improve," Simeone told reporters on Friday. "We face a team that plays very well, I like their youth in the midfield, Raphinha is one of the best in the league for his courage and style of play. We have our strengths for a game that will surely be entertaining."
Although Atletico have not won away at Barcelona since 2006, Simeone still remembers how they won the league at the Camp Nou with a draw in the final game of the 2013-14 season. "It's a good thing I haven't won there in my life. I've won everywhere and I've won a league there," Simeone said. "It's a challenge to improve. It has cost us a lot, the numbers speak for themselves. Obviously I haven't found the key."
