The coach wants a sharper defensive display at Camp Nou after the 4-2 Champions League defeat in Paris exposed set-piece concerns.

Barcelona go into El Clásico carrying a clear warning from Paris: defend better, or Real Madrid will punish the same gaps. Hansi Flick made that the central message before the first Clásico of the season against Real Madrid at Camp Nou on Sunday, 25 October.

The 4-2 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday, 20 October ended Barcelona’s perfect start to 2026/27. It also gave Flick an immediate problem to solve before facing Kylian Mbappé and a Madrid side he described as physically strong and dangerous at set pieces.

At the Parc des Princes, PSG led through Désiré Doué in the 38th minute before Xavi Espart equalised for Barcelona in the 55th. Lucas Hernández restored PSG’s lead in the 72nd minute, Lamine Yamal made it 2-2 in the 79th, then Vitinha and Fabián Ruiz scored in the 81st and 86th minutes to finish the game.

Flick said after the match that Barcelona played well but paid for their errors. He also accepted the level of the opponent, saying: “PSG were better than us.” His wider message was blunt: “Titles aren’t won in October, the Champions League will be decided in June.”

The defeat hurt because Barcelona had arrived in Paris on a run of 11 wins from 11 matches in all competitions. The attack had been carrying the team, but PSG showed the cost of leaving too much work for it. Barcelona scored twice away to the Champions League holders and still lost by two.

Mbappé and set pieces frame Flick’s plan

Flick’s focus before Madrid was on structure without the ball. He named Pau Cubarsí and Gerard Martín as the centre-backs who must be strong and aggressive against Mbappé, while also pointing to Madrid’s aerial threat.

“The important thing is to position yourself well with the ball and without the ball. Pressure on the player with the ball, advanced defense. And I think Cubarsí and Gerard are playing very well. What they are doing is incredible, they talk, they play, they are growing together. “We know Real Madrid’s strengths, and they’re among the best at set pieces. They’re also physically strong. We have to defend better than we did in Paris. We discussed it today.”

Hansi Flick, Barcelona coach

Barcelona conceded from a corner in Paris, and that detail has followed them into the Clásico build-up. Flick did not dress it up. The correction has to come immediately.

Barcelona continued preparations on Friday, 23 October with their penultimate session at the Ciutat Esportiva. Six Barcelona players are preparing for their first match in Blaugrana against Real Madrid.

The dressing room line has stayed firm. Pedri said he prepares for El Clásico like any other match, Rodri said Barcelona arrive with their mentality intact, and Gavi said the team will go all out from the start.

LaLiga has also raised the production level for the fixture, with plans to use up to 40 cameras and dedicated tracking on Lamine Yamal and Kylian Mbappé. The cameras are not the issue for Barcelona. The defending is.