Details on who FC Barcelona’s players would like to face next in the Champions League have emerged from anonymous staff sources cited by SPORT.
After finishing second in its new-look league phase, Barca reached the quarterfinals of the elite European competition by seeing off Benfica in the last 16 on Tuesday.
The Catalans went into the tie with a 1-0 advantage earned in Lisbon, but were much better in front of 47,000 punters in Montjuic while mustering a 3-1 win.
and players such as Raphinha, Lamine Yamal and Pedri communicate that Barca will give its all to lift the trophy for the first time since 2015, while some are already pointing to the Blaugrana as the favourite.
And though it should be one step at a time, without taking anyone for granted, it’s normal for Culers and the players, plus Flick and his staff alike, to think and be asked about who they would prefer to face next in either Lille or Borussia Dortmund.
According to SPORT, the message from the locker room and the players is: “We don’t care.”
This is because Flick has managed to convince the players they should focus on themselves and block out external noise.
At the same time, however, there is a premise of “we can win and lose to anyone”, which is also true in such a high level tournament.
That forces home the plan of taking the road to a possible final and lifting the trophy at the Allianz Arena in Munich on May 31 match-by-match, as there are at least five of those to dispute if Barca really does have what it takes.
Sticking to Flick’s plan of “high and unconditional pressure”, “avoiding mistakes at the back” and “facing each battle without feeling superior or inferior to anyone” will be key, but Barca can take courage from victories against potential foes such as Bayern Munich and Dortmund so far in 2024/2025.
Simultaneously, though, there have been slips up in La Liga to the likes of Leganes and Las Palmas, which has complicated the journey back to the summit of the Spanish top flight after blowing a lead of six points over bitter rival Real Madrid.