MADRID, April 10 (Xinhua) -- FC Barcelona needs to recover quickly from its Champions League defeat to Atletico Madrid on Wednesday night ahead of the Saturday's derby against Espanyol in the Camp Nou.

Last weekend's results in La Liga left Barcelona seven points clear of Real Madrid at the top of La Liga with eight games still to play, although that lead could be cut to four by the time Saturday's game kicks off, if Real Madrid wins at home to Girona on Friday night.

Barcelona goes into the derby conditioned by Wednesday's painful 2-0 defeat at home to Atletico Madrid which leaves Hansi Flick's side with a mountain to climb next Tuesday in the Metropolitano Stadium.

In an ideal world Flick would look to rotate his starting 11, but his options are limited by Raphinha's hamstring injury in attack although his main problems are in midfield.

Spain international Pedri had to be substituted at halftime against Atletico due to muscle fatigue, while Marc Bernal is still out as he recovers from his twisted ankle and although Frenkie de Jong began training with the full squad on Thursday, he is short of match fitness.

"We'll see how he feels after training and how he feels tomorrow," commented the Barcelona coach on Friday.

Flick can call on Marc Casado, who doesn't seem to form part of his plans, Gavi, who is working up to full fitness after his knee injury and Eric Garcia, who played in the midfield holding role in midweek.

Fermin Lopez also looks likely to start after only playing 45 minutes on Wednesday night as Flick carries out a difficult balancing act, although in his pre-game press conference on Friday, he hinted where his priorities lie.

"La Liga is what gets us into the Champions League, but the dream for every coach, player, and fan is to win the Champions League," said Flick insisting it was "the competition we want to win."

"We have to do our job in La Liga, but the most important thing is to win the Champions League; it's the goal of the players and the club, and it's why we're here," he added, although he implied that Lamine Yamal would probably start.

"It's always better for him to start and then we'll see. I haven't decided yet," Flick commented.

Espanyol has had a disastrous second half to the season, with its last victory just before Christmas, while 2026 has seen five draws and eight defeats in 13 games.

That run has taken Espanyol from fifth in La Liga to 10th place, but there is nothing the club's fans and players would like more than to try and disrupt Barcelona's title hopes and if they can do that in the Camp Nou, so much the better. ■