Hansi Flick said that his Barcelona players will bounce back from their dramatic Champions League semi-final defeat to Inter Milan, a tie which finished 7-6 on aggregate for the Italians after two epic matches.

Barcelona coach Hansi Flick said goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen will start for Barcelona against Real Valladolid in La Liga on Saturday, his first appearance since September following a severe knee injury.

Flick said it was one of those comebacks that nobody forgets easily, adding it was not easy to win after Borja Iglesias netted a hat-trick to give Celta a 3-1 lead.

Barcelona will be aiming to open up a seven-point lead at the top of LaLiga table when they welcome Europe-chasing Celta Vigo on Saturday.

Barcelona coach Hansi Flick on Friday demanded to meet with La Liga officials over what he called a "joke" schedule, saying Spanish football was failing to take care of players.

"They made our lives very hard but what was important is we made it to the semi-finals."

Flick's side, undefeated in 24 games across all competitions, are not taking Dortmund for granted despite carrying a 4-0 advantage into the return at Signal Iduna Park.

Barcelona extended their advantage in the Spanish top flight with a 1-0 win at Leganes on Saturday, completing a 12-match unbeaten run and moving seven points clear of second-placed Real Madrid.

Rivals Real Madrid and Barcelona, locked in a title battle in La Liga and set to face off in the Copa del Rey final, have "a lot of respect" for each other, says Los Blancos coach Carlo Ancelotti.

Spain's National Sports Council (CSD) on Thursday upheld an appeal filed by Barcelona players Dani Olmo and Pau Victor which will allow them to play for the club until the end of the season, a decision LaLiga said they would appeal.

But Robert Lewandowski came to the rescue at 1-1 as the 36-year-old netted twice to guide Barcelona to the win. The Polish striker also extended his tally at the top of LaLiga's scoring chart to 25 goals.

Leading LaLiga with 63 points, Barca face Girona on Sunday after only two days rest following their 3-0 triumph over Osasuna and over the next 17 days they have six matches in all competitions.

Barcelona coach Hansi Flick said his team will face Benfica in the Champions League on Tuesday playing for club doctor Carles Minarro, who died on Saturday.

Barca have the opportunity to return to the top when they host sixth-placed Rayo Vallecano at the Olympic Stadium on Monday, after both their main rivals dropped points on Saturday.

Los Blancos were beaten 1-0 at relegation-battling Espanyol on Saturday and subsequently sent a furious letter to the Spanish football federation blasting the country's refereeing as "rigged" and "completely discredited".

Barcelona need to maintain their focus till the end of games to ensure they stop dropping points in matches they should have won, coach Hansi Flick said on Saturday, after his team slipped to third in LaLiga due to a four-match winless streak.

Barcelona were 4-2 down towards the end of the match before goals from Robert Lewandowski, Eric Garcia and Raphinha secured their comeback.

Raphinha struck a dramatic winner in stoppage time as Barcelona came from behind to beat Benfica 5-4 in a wild match on Tuesday and virtually ensure direct qualification to the Champions League last 16.

The Catalan giants have won just one of their last eight league games, falling behind rivals Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid, but by contrast are flying high in Europe.

Last season, around this time, there was a surprise package in Girona in the top three of LaLiga. However, a year later, the Spanish league has returned to the status quo, with Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Atletico Madrid -- the three giants of Spain -- occupying the top three spots on the table at the end of 2024.