Laporta talks Flick, Lamine, Luis Enrique, Figo, Champions League ahead of Barcelona vs PSG | OneFootball

In a few hours, one of the most highly anticipated UEFA Champions League matches of the season will get underway as Barcelona take on PSG at Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys.

Ahead of kickoff, officials from both clubs, including Barcelona president Joan Laporta and his PSG counterpart Nasser Al-Khelaifi met for the traditional executives’ lunch.

Laporta opens up

Before the lunch meeting, Laporta happened to interact with the media, during which he gave his two cents on the clash between Barcelona and PSG and what it meant for the team.

“Barça-PSG is one of the best matches you can see in the Champions League. We already wanted it last year, but it couldn’t happen. I’m hoping it will be a great game of football, and I hope we win,” he said.

Remembering how PSG got the better of the Blaugrana in their previous meeting in 2024, Laporta insisted that tonight’s game gives his team a chance at retribution.

“It would have been the best game of last season, it didn’t happen because we didn’t reach the final. There’s also the incentive that they beat us here, with Ronald (Araujo) being sent off,” he noted.

Regarding the injury-enforced absences from both squads, Laporta said: “It’s a match of extreme rivalry; we have a very competitive team, just like PSG.

“Both teams have players missing, which is a shame because I would have liked everyone to be available, but there are no excuses.”

Sharing his admiration for PSG manager Luis Enrique, he added: “Luis Enrique is coming, a coach much loved by the Barça fans, we love him very much.”

Commenting on Barcelona’s decision to join PSG in collaborating with Luis Enrique’s Xana Foundation, he stated:

“Barça wanted to contribute to the Xana Foundation, I think we have to do it for Luis Enrique, for his daughter and for everything that his foundation is doing.”

On Hansi Flick’s pre-match comments about Barcelona being among the favourites to win the Champions League this season, Laporta stated:

“If Flick says it, imagine what you’d be doing. I’d be more than happy because he sees that the team is at a high level, and I like that our coach trusts his team and sees that it has a good chance of doing well in the Champions League.

“I hope what he’s saying happens. If he says it, it’s because that’s how he sees it.”

Laporta dreaming of Champions League glory. (Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)

Talking about Flick’s statements about Lamine Yamal having to keep working hard in order to reach the top, Laporta noted:

“I’m not going to go into that. We have a very competitive team, all the players are very good, we have great players like Lamine, magicians like Pedri, but it’s the team.

“The key to Barça today is the team. We depend on a competitive team that is made up of a great group of players.”

Laporta also made it clear that UEFA ambassador Luis Figo will be received and treated with respect today, despite his history, having left Barcelona to join Real Madrid over two decades ago.

“Figo is a member of the UEFA Board and for us, that is absolutely respectable. He was a Barça player, we remember the afternoons and nights of glory he gave us, then he made a decision, but life has gone on and evolved,” Laporta remarked.

“Figo is a member of UEFA and will be received with all the respect that is due.”

The Barcelona president also shared his thoughts on the investigation against former club chief Josep Maria Bartomeu over financial embezzlement.

Laporta clarified that neither he nor Barcelona had filed any complaint against the former president, and that the charges had come directly from the Prosecutor’s office.

Source: Mundo Deportivo