Barcelona coach Hans Flick said he is fully aware of the importance of tomorrow night’s match against Chelsea on Tuesday, especially as Barcelona seeks to enter the top eight teams in the Champions League group stage.
The German coach praised Chelsea and the work of Enzo Maresca, and admitted that some mistakes could occur during Rafinha’s recovery period.
Barcelona is eleventh in the league standings with 7 points from four matches, with the team winning two matches against Newcastle United (2-1), and Olympiacos of Greece (6-1), while losing to Paris Saint-Germain with a score of (2-1), and drawing (3-3) with Club Brugge of Belgium.
Chelsea is twelfth with 7 points as well, but lags behind Barcelona on goal difference.
Chelsea lost their first match against Bayern Munich (3-1), and won two matches against Benfica and Ajax Amsterdam with scores of (1-0) and (5-1) respectively, and drew in their last match (2-2) with Qarabag.
Flick said, according to the Spanish newspaper “Marca”: “We always adapt. We know how we want to play, but it is necessary to see the opponent, and that is always the case. In every match. It is not always the same strategy.”
He added about facing Chelsea: “I think it is one of the best teams in the world. They have a lot of young players, and a great coach. It is great to watch their matches and everything they are achieving. For us, it is a big match to play. It will not be easy. We have confidence, and we believe in our strength, and we will fight.”
He continued about Lewandowski: “I think after the October break he became better. He started the season early, then he came back in good condition, and he has proven that in the matches. In these moments he needs to score, and of course he is very important to us. It is important that we have a player like him, as he gives the team strength.”
He said about Maresca, Chelsea coach: “It is similar. They are an active team, and so are we. The methods are similar. What he said about Pep is normal. When we watched Barcelona with Pep, we all loved that style. And when he went to Bayern, it was the same. He inspired many coaches, and they learned from him. He created a philosophy. He cannot be imitated because he is the best coach. I think Enzo is right, many coaches were inspired by him.”
A bold admission
Flick made an explicit confession regarding Rafinha’s injury, saying: “Step by step. The important thing is that he is back, and I don’t know how many minutes he will play. He suffered two injuries, and we must be careful. I am happy with his return. On Saturday we saw the difference he makes, he opened up a lot of spaces, and I love having him with us.”
The German coach continued: “I don’t read much of what is published in the press, and I am not angry with the doctors, we have a wonderful and experienced team. In Rafinha’s case, we may have made mistakes, but this sometimes happens. This is normal, we are human. We trust all our staff. A lot of noise but things are not big.”
About Rashford he said: “I am very happy with his return. He has recovered now. We will see if he will play tomorrow or be on the bench. I have followed his career all along and I have always admired his performance, what he does inside the area and in front of the goal. For him, living in a different culture, with good weather… I think he is very happy. He is always smiling, and the atmosphere is very good.”
About the team’s situation: “All matches are different. I am happy to play against Chelsea because it is a great experience for us. We are happy. There are players who have returned, such as Frenkie, Marcus and Rafinha… and Pedri will return soon. All of this is positive.”
Regarding Eric Garcia: “That may be possible. We have several options. This position for Eric is one of the options. He played very well against Athletic. And I am happy with him.”
Regarding considering the match a final: “Our goal is to reach the top eight, but we know it is not easy. Last season proved to us that even if you are not the best at the beginning, you can win the Champions League.”
Barcelona’s list
German coach Hans Flick, Barcelona’s coach, announced the Catalan team’s list in preparation for facing Chelsea on Tuesday at Stamford Bridge, in one of the most prominent matches of the fifth round of the Champions League group stage.
Barcelona’s list witnessed the continued absence of midfielder star Pedri Gonzalez due to his failure to recover from the injury, while Frenkie de Jong returned after missing the Bilbao match.
Rafinha also continued his presence in the list for the second match in a row after recovering from the injury.
Barcelona’s list came as follows:
Goalkeeping: Wojciech Szczesny, Juan Garcia, Diego Kochen.
Defense: Eric Garcia, Ronald Araujo, Gerard Martin, Alejandro Balde, Jules Koundé, Pau Cubarsí, Andreas Christensen.
Midfield: Dani Olmo, Marc Casadó, Drew Fernandez, Marc Bernal, Frenkie de Jong, Fermín López.
Attack: Rafinha, Lamine Yamal, Marcus Rashford, Rony Bardghji, Robert Lewandowski, Ferran Torres.
