Flick talks Lewandowski, Raphinha, Szczesny, Di Maria, Dr Carles Minarro ahead of Barcelona vs Benfica | OneFootball

Barcelona will square off against SL Benfica for a third time this season on Tuesday as the two teams face off in the second leg of their UEFA Champions League Round-of-16 fixture at Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys.

The Blaugrana go into the game with a narrow advantage, having beaten Benfica 1-0 in the first leg in Lisbon, despite playing with ten men for 70 minutes.

Barcelona manager Hansi Flick addressed the media in a press conference today, which began with a minute of silence to honour Dr Carles Minarro, the first-team doctor who passed away on Saturday, leading to the Catalans’ game vs Osasuna being postponed.

On Dr Carles Minarro’s passing

“I think the team is handling the situation well. We are very focused on the game, as I said after Lisbon, that it was only the first leg,” said Flick to kick things off.

On how he has managed the situation in the dressing room following the sudden passing of Dr Minarro, which has left many affected, the German manager explained:

“‘The president also said something in the dressing room, he said it on Sunday and I spoke to the team yesterday. It’s a great loss, he was a great person and a great doctor.

“He was unbelievable for the team and for the club, he was a fundamental part of our team. We will miss him, but sometimes that’s life.

“We want to play for him, in this situation, it’s very important to win for him. We are ready for it. We have to continue, it’s our job. It’s an important signing for the club and we want to do well.”

On the team

Confirming that Robert Lewandowski was fit and ready for tomorrow, Flick said: “He is in top form, on Saturday we decided to rest him. In the training session before the game, he felt some discomfort due to fatigue and we decided to rest him.”

On whether they believe that they are already in the quarter-finals, the Barcelona manager replied:

“I see the team very focused, and we talked about it this morning. In this morning’s talk, we showed the good and the bad from the first leg and we don’t think the job is done. We want the attitude to be right.”

With games against Benfica and Atletico Madrid (La Liga) coming up, this week will be critical for Barcelona’s aspirations. Touching on that, Flick said:

“It’s always like that. I remember the week against Bayern and Madrid and it’s similar. Obviously, it’s very important that we win and even more so after the result in Lisbon. We are in a good frame of mind and we have confidence in ourselves.”

Looking to finish the job vs Benfica. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

The Barça head coach then spoke about Raphinha’s brilliant form this season and whether he is a contender for the Ballon d’Or, saying:

“Of course, if he does well this season he could have a chance. He always helps us a lot, and if you see the goals he has scored it shows you how hungry he is. You see it, it’s good to see how focused he is. I’m happy with his level.”

Praising the performances of veteran goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny, he added: “Szczesny is a mature and experienced goalkeeper. His personality helps us a lot, he is doing a great job.”

On Benfica

Flick then spoke in detail about Benfica and their tactics, hailing the philosophy of the Portuguese club’s manager, Bruno Lage.

“They have a great team. Bruno Lage does a great job and you can see his philosophy on the pitch. The best thing is for us to be 100% focused and not think about the first leg,” said the Barcelona manager.

On being asked if he expects the Portuguese outfit to be more desperate tomorrow, he noted: “Normally they always press high. They do that very well, they’ve won a lot of away games. We have to focus on that.”

Discussing how they can beat Benfica’s intense pressing, Flick stated: “It’s all about positioning, good possession helps us a lot both in attack and defence. That’s what we want to do tomorrow.”

As confirmed earlier today, Benfica will be without Angel Di Maria for the game as he has failed to recover from his injury. On the Argentine’s absence, Flick said:

“I already said he was one of my favourite players. I won’t talk about players who won’t be here. He is a fantastic and dangerous player despite his age.”

Source: Mundo Deportivo