Hansi Flick talks Rashford, Raphinha, Yamal, Sir Bobby Robson, Eddie Howe ahead of Barcelona vs Newcastle United | OneFootball

FC Barcelona are set to kick off their 2025-26 UEFA Champions League campaign tonight, Thursday, as they face Premier League side Newcastle United in the league phase.

With the quality that both these teams possess, this is going to be a highly entertaining game, especially as both of them will also be looking to start their UCL campaigns with a win.

Ahead of this game, as reported by Mundo Deportivo, Hansi Flick has addressed his customary press conference yesterday, in which he talked about the upcoming game, some issues regarding his team, and the goals he would be pursuing with Barcelona.

The main highlights of this presser are as follows:

Hansi Flick started the presser by praising his upcoming opponents and the atmosphere that the Newcastle fans create:

“I’ve never been here, but it’s one of the best atmospheres. I expect a great team, with intensity and alert to second balls. Eddie Howe is a great coach, and they’ve done a great job.”

While taking encouragement from the win against Valencia, the German admitted that the game against the English side will still be difficult:

“What we saw against Valencia was very positive. We’re playing well in all areas. With this confidence, it’s important to play tomorrow. We must keep the ball and exploit the spaces. It won’t be an easy match. They are very strong.”

The Barcelona coach wanted his players to give their all in this match, as well as in every other match:

“In my experience, it’s always about giving the maximum in every match. We saw it last year. We learned, and we have to be better every day. I think everyone should show how good they are. We have a young team, with three absences. Tomorrow we’ll see. We have to show what we are capable of.”

Hansi Flick was quite confident that the pressure created by the fans would not impact his team too much:

“We are a young team, but with experience. Spaniards know what it means to play under pressure. Last season, we were many points behind, and we turned it around. We had confidence, but it’s important to start well from the beginning.”

The German coach had not started Raphinha in the last game because of a disciplinary penalty, but he recognized his importance in this presser:

“Raphinha is one of our key players. He starts the pressing, and it’s very good to see.”

When asked about Lamine Yamal, the Blaugrana coach did not want to talk too much about him:

“I want to talk about the players who can play. Tomorrow he can’t play, and we’ll see on Sunday. We have a good squad, and there are players for the position. Rashford is in the team. If someone can’t play, he can step in. I hope he can show in England what he did on Sunday.”

While admitting that he does not know Nick Woltemade a lot, Flick still expressed his happiness with how much he has grown:

“I didn’t know him much. I watched some matches. I was surprised by his improvement. I’m happy with him, and we’ll see how he develops. He has a lot of room to grow. I’m very happy with him. I’m also happy that Germany has a great striker.”

The German coach was not too revealing when asked about his starting eleven:

“I need this training session and eight hours of rest to decide.”

When asked whether Ronald Araujo can start this game to deal with the physical challenge that Newcastle would impose, the Barcelona coach did not give a clear answer:

“We have a great team. Eric and Cubarsí have done well. It could happen, but we’ll see tomorrow.”

Flick made it clear that Barcelona are thinking about winning the UCL, but also admitted of the challenges awaiting the team:

“I don’t think much about it. We have a great team, and every team wants to win the Champions League. I feel that at Barça we’re all looking for it. We’ll see what happens at the end of the season.”

Despite not being too happy with his team’s performances at the start of this season, Flick still expressed his happiness on the win against Valencia:

“Football changes. Our preseason was so-so. We won all the matches, but then we didn’t see that quality in the league. Sunday was like last season. For me, it’s good to see it. Every game is the same, and you have to do it from the start. Against Valencia, we did it.”

Flick also praised the legendary Sir Bobby Robson:

“For me, he was a fantastic coach. Barça has had fantastic coaches. I watch many matches and training sessions from English teams. I was with Wenger and saw what I needed for my philosophy. I wanted to learn from coaches. Being at Barça is learning every day”.

The German coach also did not give any specific timeline for Lamine Yamal’s return:

“I don’t think we should put pressure. We have a fantastic medical staff. We’ll see how he evolves. If he returns, it’s to be at one hundred percent. He’s a young player, and we have to take care of him.”

The Barcelona coach also opened up on how he will approach this game against Newcastle United:

“We have to adapt a bit to the opponent’s style. It’s like that in every game. We have to see what to do depending on the rival. We’ve had plenty of time to prepare. If we have spaces, we must take advantage of them.”

Lastly, Hansi Flick also highlighted some of the best qualities of Marcus Rashford:

Although he did not give many indications about who he will start tomorrow, Marcus Rashford seems to be one player poised for a start. Hopefully, Barcelona will get their work done in this game, and start their UCL campaign with a win.