Hansi Flick urges Barcelona squad to prioritise derby clash amid key Champions League challenge

Atletico Madrid secured a 2-0 victory over Barca at the Camp Nou during the midweek quarter-final first leg, putting the Catalan side in a tough spot ahead of their return fixture in the Spanish capital next Tuesday.

Barca, who top the league table, will welcome local opponents Espanyol this Saturday, holding a seven-point lead over second-placed Real Madrid.

"The dream for every player, the club, the fans, the coaches is to win the Champions League," Flick shared with journalists.

"In every (European) game you see the team is five percent more motivated (above) 100 percent. This is the competition, this is why we are here.

"We have to make our daily job, this is La Liga, but in the end the most important thing is to win the Champions League. This is the goal from my side, the players and the club."

Barca, winners of the Champions League on five occasions, claimed their last title back in 2015.

The current Spanish title holders defeated Espanyol in January, and since that point, Manolo Gonzalez's team has not recorded a single victory, slipping down to 10th position after a promising start to the campaign.

"We have a lot of players from La Masia (the club's youth academy), they know exactly what it means to play against Espanyol," Flick explained.

"It's a derby, we are playing at home and I want to win it."

The manager mentioned he plans to "manage minutes" through squad rotation between the upcoming Atletico encounters, yet assured that "whoever is starting tomorrow will be a fantastic team".

Flick emphasised that his team remains undeterred by the upcoming trip to the Metropolitano Stadium.

"This is their job, what they have to do. They are very focussed and ready for tomorrow," the German manager concluded.