Hansi Flick’s Barcelona roared to an emphatic 4-0 victory over Borussia Dortmund in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League quarter-final at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys last week, but the German insists that Tuesday’s second leg “won’t be easy”.
Goals from Raphinha and Lamine Yamal either side of a Robert Lewandowski brace at Montjuïc ensured that the Blaugrana take a commanding lead to the Westfalenstadion, although Flick told reporters in his pre-match press conference that it is imperative his side do not “let our concentration drop.”
“I’m really happy with having won 4-0 at Montjuïc,” he explained on Monday, “because I know that tomorrow will be very complicated. The team has to enjoy what they do and go all in, and we’re ready to do that. We want it to be a great game for us, but also for the fans who have travelled with us and always support us.”
The challenge of facing Dortmund at their iconic home stadium isn’t lost on the 60-year-old, he insisted – but as Barça edge nearer to a historic quadruple, Flick is only focusing on the next game.
He explained: “Everything else is in the future and we’re not looking any further than that. Our way of playing football is always giving the maximum. We’ve got great quality in this team and the idea is to always go game by game. We’re playing against Dortmund in the quarter-finals of the Champions League and it’s always difficult in this stadium. We’ve got to be focused, 100%.”
“I’ve got a lot of faith in this team,” Flick continued, adding that “they’ve worked so well during the entire season and the players are doing okay, they’re fit and motivation is always important in the final part of the season when you need that little bit extra.”
Borussia Dortmund host Barcelona in the second leg of their UEFA Champions League quarter-final on Tuesday 15th April. Kickoff at the Signal Iduna Park is scheduled for 20:00 BST [21:00 CEST].
