Flick gives update on fitness of Lewandowski and Balde ahead of Inter

Barcelona manager Hansi Flick appeared cautiously optimistic about the state of Robert Lewandowski and Alejandro Balde ahead of their Champions League semi-final second leg against Inter in the Giuseppe Meazza. Neither will feature against Real Valladolid this weekend though.

Balde went down with a hamstring problem on the 12th of April against Leganes, and after missing the first leg against Inter and the Copa del Rey final against Real Madrid, there was optimism in Catalonia that Balde at least would be back in time for Tuesday.

“We have to wait and see how things progress day by day. They’re on the right track, but we have to wait and see. It’s the same with Casadó, who did part of the training today. We can’t take any risks. Robert is progressing very well, and we’ll have to see what Balde does.”

Lewandowski and Balde both missed training on Friday ahead of their clash with Valladolid. More specifically on Lewandowski, Flick remained tight-lipped when asked a second question on his fitness.

“He could be back for the second leg against Inter. Robert is doing very well and his progress is much better than we expected. We’ll have to see. He’s a great professional and always works hard to be 100%. He might be back on Tuesday.”

After Andreas Christensen return to action for the first time since August against Inter, there was also positive news elsewhere for the Blaugrana. Flick confirmed that captain Marc-Andre ter Stegen would be back in goal against Valladolid, while Marc Casado was also back in training for the first time since his ligament tear in mid-March. It is not yet clear when the midfielder will be back, but with the exception of Marc Bernal, Barcelona may finish the season with a fully fit squad.