Robert Lewandowski will put his World Cup disappointment behind him in Barcelona’s crucial run-in, so says Hansi Flick.

Lewandowski’s Poland lost 3-2 to Sweden on Tuesday, meaning they failed to qualify for this summer’s tournament.

The 37-year-old subsequently hinted at his international retirement in a social media post.

However, Flick is confident his striker will cast aside the disappointment, with Barca targeting a LaLiga and Champions League double this season.

The Blaugrana are top of LaLiga ahead of facing Atletico Madrid on Saturday. They face Diego Simeone’s team again in a two-legged Champions League quarter-final in the coming weeks.

“He played 90 minutes in both matches [for Poland],” Flick said of Lewandowski.

“He’s very professional, and the thought of not being able to play in the World Cup makes him sad, but that’s part of life. Now he’s focused on what we need from him in the coming weeks.”

Barca were dealt a blow in the international break as star forward Raphinha suffered yet another injury.

“There are no guilty parties. It’s an injury, and that’s part of football; we have to accept it,” Flick said of Raphinha’s injury, which occurred while he was on international duty with Brazil.

“It hasn’t come at the best time, which saddens us, and now we’ll have to see how we manage it, we have a lot of players.

“These things happen. He went to Brazil. Normally, we want players here [when they are injured]. We were talking and he was very down, and to help him relax and clear his head, we decided together with Deco he could spend a few days relaxing in Brazil with his family. Sometimes you have to make different decisions.”

With Atletico sitting fourth in LaLiga, Flick was asked if he expects Saturday’s clash to be the most relaxed of the upcoming three matches between the teams.

He said: “No, it’s always tough against them, and they have one of the best coaches in the world.

“I like what I see of them and how they play. They have some of the best players in the world, like [Antoine] Griezmann. Their players are fantastic, and the atmosphere at their stadium is magnificent too.”

The good news is that we’ll have Kounde, Balde and Eric back. De Jong will be able to start training with the group next week, but we have to take it step by step.

Hansi Flick pic.twitter.com/0LUE73EHFn

— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) April 3, 2026

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Atletico Madrid – Alexander Sorloth

Sorloth has scored five goals in seven appearances against Barcelona in LaLiga.

Only against Rayo Vallecano and Real Sociedad (seven) has he scored more goals in the competition (also five against Girona and Real Madrid).

Barcelona – Ferran Torres

Torres has scored five goals in 13 games against Atletico in all competitions.

He has only netted more against Real Betis (nine) in his elite career in Spain and England (also five against Athletic Club).

MATCH PREDICTION: BARCELONA WIN

Atletico boss Simeone has only won 11% of the 28 games he has managed against Barca in LaLiga (P28 W3 D7 L18), his lowest win percentage against a single opponent with at least two encounters in the competition.

Simeone’s team have dropped 19 points from winning positions in LaLiga this season, along with Real Oviedo the second-most in the competition behind Espanyol (20).

Barcelona, on the other hand, have gained more points from losing positions (18) than any other team in the competition this season.

The Blaugrana have lost two of their last four away games in LaLiga (W2), suffering as many defeats as in their previous 21 away matches in the competition (W15 D4 L2).

Following their 5-2 victory against Real Madrid in September 2025, Atletico could win both of their home LaLiga games against Barcelona and Los Blancos in the same season for only the second time in the last 45 years, after also doing so in 2021-22.

Barcelona have won their last three away games against Atletico in LaLiga, becoming the only visiting team to achieve three consecutive victories in the competition at the Metropolitano.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Atletico Madrid – 32.6%

Draw – 24.9%

Barcelona – 42.5%