Flick confirms Araujo's absence against Atlético and explains his reaction at end of Barça-Alavés

The image of Raphinha trying to console an apparently dejected Hansi Flick after the final whistle of the Barcelona-Alavés (3-1) went viral on social media on Saturday. In the press conference prior to the clash against Atlético de Madrid, for matchday 19 (postponed) of LaLiga, the Barça coach revealed the reason for his consternation on the bench at the Spotify Camp Nou.

According to Flick, his image at the end of the match against Alavés had to do with the expulsion of Marcus Sorg, his first assistant, along with another collaborator for complaints from the bench and some exchange of words with the rival bench.

"I was disappointed because we lost a lot of balls, there were two red cards for the bench... When we scored the third, Marcus was shown the red card and I had spoken with him, he is my friend, he is the most important person I have here; I had the conversation in my head," commented the German.

"I wanted to get some air, I didn't want to argue. But I'm fine, and strong for whatever the club has in store. I'm very happy to be here"

Flick confirms Araujo's absence against Atlético and Ter Stegen's return to training

On the other hand, Flick also confirmed that **Ronald Araujo** will not be available on Tuesday against Atlético. The 'charrúa' was out for matchday 14 of La Liga due to a stomach problem and, now, is attending to a personal matter that prevented him from training normally"**Ronald is not ready. It's a private situation and I won't say more and I ask that you respect it, that's what I can and will say**," the coach clarified. Regarding **Raphinha**, the manager is confident that the Brazilian can play 90 minutes for the first time in over two months. Furthermore, he does not rule out **Pedri**'s presence in the lineup.

The big news from Monday's training session was the return of Ter Stegen. The German worked with the group and, although he has not yet been medically cleared, he is very close to returning. Regarding this, Flick avoided the controversy about what the '1's role in the squad will be. In principle, he will be the third goalkeeper behind Joan Garcia and Szczesny, which means he should leave in the winter transfer window

However, the Barça coach prefers, for now, to keep the focus on each game. "It's not the time to talk about this. He's not ready to play. We have to wait and take the next steps. It's good for him. We are happy with his progress."

"The other day (Alavés) we made many mistakes. We have the quality to control the game better, and the other day I missed that. We have to raise the level; there is quality and the ability to do it"

Atlético, a tough opponent at a "fantastic" moment

Regarding Tuesday's opponent at Spotify Camp Nou, Hansi Flick believes they are a "fantastic" team with a great coach. The 'Colchoneros' **have won six consecutive league games** and are now just 3 points behind leaders Barça.

"We have to play at our maximum level, it's one of the best teams in Europe. They have increased their quality in the summer market. It's a fantastic team, in defense and attack. But we have quality and we have to show it," argued the German coach.

In this regard, he warns of the need to know how to handle the pressure of being leaders again and to improve game by game. "We are first, but we are not at our best level. We have to recover it," he pointed out

"It's always important to be leaders, but in the end, if you look at what we've gone through: there have been injuries... we've never made excuses for them... and we're at the top"

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