Hansi Flick gives update on Gavi and Barcelona fitness programme – ‘We check how the players sleep’ | OneFootball

Barcelona manager Hansi Flick has confirmed that midfielder Gavi is available for their Saturday night clash with Real Betis, after he did not play against Atletico Madrid this week. Many believed Gavi would start in the Copa del Rey semi-final, but the 20-year-old reportedly felt pain in his knee before the game.

Flick explained to the media that Gavi was available, as the Blaugrana try to maintain their lead at the top of La Liga.

“We thought about putting him on, but he had some discomfort. But with the players, it is not good for them when they are not playing, we need them available, and I spoke with the medical staff, and with his therapist, and there is no problem. He is able to play tomorrow.”

One of the things that Barcelona have been praised for this season was the overhaul of their strength and conditioning department, which has resulted in a severe drop in the number of injuries. The German manager gave an insight into just how careful they have been.

“We check everything. Every day we have a check, how did they sleep, how they are. Right now it’s really important that they sleep well, they recover well. Also when you win, it helps a lot, because you have confidence, you believe in what you are doing. When I hear the interviews, there is no fear, we believe we are in the moment we can reach everything, and we have to show that against every team. I like what I see in the dressing room.”

“The atmosphere is very good in the dressing room, between the young guys and the old guys. If everyone brings their 100%, I’m happy. And if we play like a team, that’s important, and it shows, and we have seen it the last month. Everyone can see there is a team on the pitch, and on the bench. We can see it is not only XI playing, and the players on the bench are giving everything in training, and I’m really happy with that.”

Rotation has been one of the most frequent topics of Flick’s press conferences in recent weeks, as a relatively small Barcelona squad attempts to keep their challenge alive on three different fronts. After facing Betis on Saturday night, the Blaugrana welcome Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League quater-finals.

Photo by EFE

“We have to manage the training, the load of the training, but also the matches. I speak with the experts, and we have to take care of how many minutes the player is playing, and only focus on who can play the next match. Not Dortmund or anything like that.”

Beyond Gavi, Barcelona are believed to be nursing a number of knocks following a bruising encounter with Atletico on Wednesday. In addition, Marc Casado is out for the majority of the season at least, and Dani Olmo will be laid low for a minimum of three more games, with a slim hope he could recover in time for the second leg against Dortmund. Barcelona are just over three weeks away from a Clasico Copa del Rey final too.