MADRID, May 10 (Xinhua) -- FC Barcelona coach Hansi Flick said Saturday that his players would not be looking at the La Liga table ahead of Sunday's fourth match of the season against Real Madrid.
Barca goes into the game having won the first 3 meetings between the two Spanish giants, with the most recent triumph in the Copa del Rey final a fortnight ago.
A fourth win would put Flick's side 7 points clear of Madrid at the top of La Liga, but Flick told the press that assuring the title was not the first thought in his players' minds.
"If you ask the players, they always want to win a Clasico. The standings don't matter (...) We're focused on this game to give it everything," he insisted.
Flick insisted his players were in good shape, despite the efforts they made in Tuesday's 4-3 Champions League defeat away to Inter Milan, after 120 minutes of football.
"This has nothing to do with them lacking energy because they have it. They're doing a fantastic job, and we want to continue like that," he said, adding that the squad had discussed matters after Tuesday's European disappointment.
"We've been talking about the players' feelings. It's also important to talk about these things openly. In a game like El Clasico, you have to give 100 percent and be at your best. We want to be active, dominant. Madrid is a fantastic team, but we're playing at home and our fans support us," commented the German. ■
