Barcelona midfielder cryptic about readiness to start vs Real Madrid – ‘It depends on…’

Hansi Flick is set to face his first official El Clasico as a Barcelona coach as his team takes on Real Madrid at Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday.

It will be a must-win game for the Catalans, as they look to extend their lead at the top of the league table.

Coming back from a morale-boosting 4-1 win over Bayern Munich, Flick is facing a major selection dilemma in midfield heading into this Real Madrid.

The German has to choose between three players – Frenkie de Jong, Dani Olmo and Fermin Lopez – for just one available position in midfield.

Fermin started in midweek against Bayern, but de Jong, too, is an option as the Dutchman is slowly starting to reclaim his fitness.

De Jong on his availability against Real Madrid

In a recent interaction, de Jong was asked about his availability against Real Madrid and whether or not he will start the game.

De Jong will be looking forward to the Real Madrid game (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

De Jong has endured persistent problems with his fitness even after recovering from his injury. He missed the Sevilla game recently and only played half an hour against Bayern Munich.

“Whether I’m in a position to start tomorrow? I don’t know, maybe. It depends on how I’m feeling these days,” he said when asked about his fitness (h/t Ziggo Sport).

“Against Sevilla, I would have started if it wasn’t for the physical annoyance,” added de Jong, who has to pick up his form fast if he is to retain his position as one of Barcelona’s most important midfielders.

With Marc Casado and Pedri doing extremely well, coach Flick has very little reason to tinker with his midfield formula. And with Gavi and Olmo returning to action, coupled with Fermin’s form, one would expect de Jong to have a difficult time finding regular game time.

Nevertheless, the Dutchman remains excited for Barcelona’s prospects in the Clasico, and the midfielder will be ready to help his team out any way he can.