​Barca manager Flick is happy to get players back for the Atletico clash.

Barca manager Flick is happy to get players back for the Atletico clash.

Barcelona manager Hansi Flick admitted he was relieved to have some injured players back and fit for Tuesday's important game against Atletico Madrid.

Barca took the top spot in La Liga after beating Alaves 3-1 on Saturday, though fourth-placed Atletico are only three points behind them.

Pedri came back as a substitute in the second half on Saturday. He had been out for over a month with a hamstring injury.

He is likely to start against Diego Simeone's tough team, as is fellow midfielder Frenkie de Jong, who missed the Alaves match for personal reasons.

“I’m really happy. The players are coming back, maybe we can increase our level. This is the most important thing,” Flick said on Monday, although he confirmed that Uruguayan centre-back Ronald Araujo is out.

The German manager has been heavily criticised this season because of several very poor performances. This was especially true in the Catalan club's biggest games—a 3-0 loss to Chelsea and 2-1 defeats against Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain.

Even though they are top of the league, Flick agreed that Barca must get better.

“I know we are not (in) top (form) like last season,” he said. “But we have potential. And we have to increase our level.”