Flick: Barca will rebound from Inter loss against Madrid in El Clasico

Coach Hansi Flick knows there is no better painkiller for Barcelona's gut-wrenching UEFA Champions League exit to Inter Milan than beating Real Madrid in a decisive El Clasico.

"After the defeat in Milan, everyone knows it was not easy after that match, but I think we are doing great," Flick said on Saturday, a day before Barcelona host Madrid in a game that will go a long way to deciding the La Liga title.

Barcelona were moments away from a thrilling comeback at Inter on Tuesday before the Italian side struck a last-gasp equalizer and secured a 4-3 extra-time win. Inter will play Paris Saint-Germain in the European final.

Barcelona, in turn, must refocus on their chance to complete a domestic double and leave Madrid without a major trophy this campaign.

Barca will host Madrid with a four-point advantage. They have won all three Clasicos this season across all competitions, including a recent victory in the Copa del Rey final. Making it four of four will in itself be a great achievement for Flick in his first season in charge.

"We have spoken about that and about what we are going to do in the next two weeks," the German coach said. "There are four more matches to go and of course the Clasico tomorrow is for us very important for us to show again how good we can play. It is about our confidence."

Flick said left back Alejandro Balde and striker Robert Lewandowski will be available for "minutes in the second half."

Balde missed the Inter tie with a left thigh injury. Youth player Gerard Martin started in his place and struggled on the defensive end.

Lewandowski, who leads Barcelona with 40 goals this season, was sidelined for two weeks with a left thigh injury until he played the final minutes of Barcelona's loss at Inter. Ferran Torres will most likely start in his place on Sunday.

Ancelotti dodges questions about his future before facing Barca

Carlo Ancelotti said that Xabi Alonso has "all the doors open" for a move to a big club with speculation building that the former Real Madrid midfielder's set to replace the Italian coach at the helm of the Spanish powerhouse.

Ancelotti gave his routine pre-game news conference Saturday, a day after Alonso announced he was leaving Bayer Leverkusen. He praised the work of Alonso, who has been widely linked to an eventual move back to Madrid after leading the German club to the Bundesliga title last season.

"I read that Xavi is leaving Bayer Leverkusen, where he did a fantastic job," Ancelotti said. "He has all the doors open because he has shown that he is one of the best coaches in the world."

For Ancelotti, his relationship with the club he has spent six seasons at in two stints is an everlasting "honeymoon."

"The honeymoon with this club never ends, it continues forever," he said. "I think that Real Madrid, like Milan before, are the teams that stay with me given the time I have spent here. At the beginning there is passion, and when that fades other feelings emerge, a sense of tender care. My honeymoon with Real Madrid will last for as long as I live."

The 65-year-old coach is under contract through the next campaign but is widely expected to leave after an underwhelming season in which the team played worse despite adding Kylian Mbappe to their squad.

Brazil have been courting Ancelotti for over a year and it appears talks are still ongoing with him.