Barcelona coach Hansi Flick said his team will face Benfica in the Champions League on Tuesday playing for club doctor Carles Minarro, who died on Saturday.
Barca have the opportunity to return to the top when they host sixth-placed Rayo Vallecano at the Olympic Stadium on Monday, after both their main rivals dropped points on Saturday.
Los Blancos were beaten 1-0 at relegation-battling Espanyol on Saturday and subsequently sent a furious letter to the Spanish football federation blasting the country's refereeing as "rigged" and "completely discredited".
Barcelona need to maintain their focus till the end of games to ensure they stop dropping points in matches they should have won, coach Hansi Flick said on Saturday, after his team slipped to third in LaLiga due to a four-match winless streak.
Barcelona were 4-2 down towards the end of the match before goals from Robert Lewandowski, Eric Garcia and Raphinha secured their comeback.
Raphinha struck a dramatic winner in stoppage time as Barcelona came from behind to beat Benfica 5-4 in a wild match on Tuesday and virtually ensure direct qualification to the Champions League last 16.
The Catalan giants have won just one of their last eight league games, falling behind rivals Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid, but by contrast are flying high in Europe.
Last season, around this time, there was a surprise package in Girona in the top three of LaLiga. However, a year later, the Spanish league has returned to the status quo, with Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Atletico Madrid -- the three giants of Spain -- occupying the top three spots on the table at the end of 2024.
Manager Hansi Flick expressed frustration over Barcelona's struggle to acquire new players' licences for Dani Olmo and Pau Victor but remained optimistic ahead of their Copa del Rey match against Barbastro, praising the duo's attitude.
Barcelona coach Hansi Flick said his team will face Benfica in the Champions League on Tuesday playing for club doctor Carles Minarro, who died on Saturday.
Barca have the opportunity to return to the top when they host sixth-placed Rayo Vallecano at the Olympic Stadium on Monday, after both their main rivals dropped points on Saturday.
Los Blancos were beaten 1-0 at relegation-battling Espanyol on Saturday and subsequently sent a furious letter to the Spanish football federation blasting the country's refereeing as "rigged" and "completely discredited".
Barcelona need to maintain their focus till the end of games to ensure they stop dropping points in matches they should have won, coach Hansi Flick said on Saturday, after his team slipped to third in LaLiga due to a four-match winless streak.
Barcelona were 4-2 down towards the end of the match before goals from Robert Lewandowski, Eric Garcia and Raphinha secured their comeback.
Raphinha struck a dramatic winner in stoppage time as Barcelona came from behind to beat Benfica 5-4 in a wild match on Tuesday and virtually ensure direct qualification to the Champions League last 16.
The Catalan giants have won just one of their last eight league games, falling behind rivals Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid, but by contrast are flying high in Europe.
Last season, around this time, there was a surprise package in Girona in the top three of LaLiga. However, a year later, the Spanish league has returned to the status quo, with Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Atletico Madrid -- the three giants of Spain -- occupying the top three spots on the table at the end of 2024.
Manager Hansi Flick expressed frustration over Barcelona's struggle to acquire new players' licences for Dani Olmo and Pau Victor but remained optimistic ahead of their Copa del Rey match against Barbastro, praising the duo's attitude.
Barca have now gone three games without a LaLiga win having picked up five points out of a possible 21, suffering defeats by Leganes and Las Palmas in their previous two home games. They are three points behind Atletico having played a game more.
