Borussia Dortmund coach praises Hansi Flick ahead of Barcelona faceoff | OneFootball

FC Barcelona and Borussia Dortmund will meet once again this season on Wednesday night in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys.

After their earlier league phase encounter on 11 December – a 2–3 away victory for Barça – the rematch brings added intrigue with Niko Kovac now at the helm of the German side.

Kovac took over as Borussia Dortmund manager in February following the dismissal of Nuri Sahin.

The 53-year-old Croatian coach was once the mentor of current Barcelona boss Hansi Flick at Bayern Munich, where Flick joined Kovac’s staff in 2019. Now, for the first time, they will face each other as rivals on the touchline.

Speaking to Mundo Deportivo, Kovac was full of admiration for his former assistant.

“Hansi is a great coach. He already showed signs of his potential back then,” said the Dortmund boss. “I am really pleased with how things are going for him.”

Flick, who led Bayern to a historic sextuple in 2020, surpassed his mentor’s previous success – Kovac had guided the same club to a domestic treble in 2018 before bringing Flick into his coaching team.

Flick and Kovac during their time at Bayern. (Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Bongarts/Getty Images)

Since joining Barcelona, Flick has continued his impressive trajectory, with the club leading La Liga, having reached the Copa del Rey final, and now advancing deep into the Champions League.

“What stands out about Hansi is that he is hardworking, methodical, and knows how to manage a group very well,” Kovac added.

Reflecting on their shared history, Kovac remarked: “It will be special. We worked together, he was my assistant, and now we will be competing against each other.”

The upcoming encounter also pits together two similarly intense and detail-oriented coaches. Flick is known at Barcelona for his composed, respectful demeanour in public, but also his firm management behind the scenes.

Much of Flick’s style mirrors that of his former boss. Kovac is also regarded as demanding, structured, and fiercely competitive – a natural winner.

As such, all signs point to a compelling tactical battle on Wednesday night in Montjuïc.