Atletico Madrid vs. Barcelona: La Liga champions receive triple boost ahead of La Liga blockbuster

Barcelona head coach Hansi Flick has confirmed that Alejandro Balde, Jules Kounde and Eric Garcia are all available for Saturday's La Liga clash with Atletico Madrid.

Both Balde and Kounde picked up hamstring injuries in the second leg of Barcelona's Copa del Rey semi-final against Atletico earlier this month, with the pair missing the team's last five matches.

The defensive duo have been back in training ahead of the clash with Atletico, though, and Flick confirmed during his press conference that both players are available.

Eric Garcia's position in the squad against Diego Simeone's side has also been confirmed.

The Spaniard has been an unused substitute in three of Barcelona's last four matches due to a hamstring issue, but the international break has allowed him to recover.

Balde, Kounde, Garcia fit for Barcelona's clash with Atletico

The Catalan outfit are once again without the services of Frenkie de Jong, though, with the Netherlands international not yet ready to return from a hamstring issue which has sidelined him since the end of February.

“The good news is that Balde and Kounde are back, as is Eric. In Frenkie’s case, we’ll have to wait a little longer; perhaps he can start training next week. We’ll take it one step at a time," Flick told reporters.

Andreas Christensen remains a long-term absentee for the La Liga champions, while Raphinha is facing another month out with a hamstring issue that he suffered while representing Brazil during the March international break.

"No guilty parties" over Raphinha injury, insists Flick

“There are no guilty parties. It’s an injury, and that’s part of football; we have to accept it. It hasn’t come at the best time, which saddens us, and now we’ll have to see how we manage it," said Flick when asked about Raphinha.

“The players are away with their national teams, and the rest of the team also has days off. It’s not the first injury we’ve had this season.

“I spoke with him and saw he was feeling down, so I decided to give him a few days off. He’s in good hands. It was my decision for him to stay in Brazil with his family. In this case, we opted to do things differently.”

Barcelona will face Atletico three times in their next four matches, with the pair also locking horns in the quarter-finals of the Champions League.