Flick talks Lamine, Mbappe, De Jong, Eric ahead of Barcelona vs Real Madrid | OneFootball

FC Barcelona will compete to win their first trophy of the season tomorrow night when they face off against bitter rivals Real Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup final.

Last season, the Blaugrana absolutely thrashed the Spanish capital club in the final to lift the trophy, which acted as a turning point for the team for the rest of the season.

Hansi Flick & co. will be hoping for a similar outcome this time around, even more so after having faced defeat in the first El Clasico of the season in La Liga back in October.

Barcelona made it to the final after breezing past Athletic Club in the semifinal, securing a 5-0 win and will want to carry the momentum forward.

Ahead of the heavyweight encounter in Jeddah, Barcelona boss Flick addressed the media in his pre-match press conference, discussing the Clasico final and what it would mean for the win to the trophy.

“First of all, I think everyone values ​​being in a final against Real Madrid. It’s a Clasico and we can win a title. Against Athletic, we played as a team, as a unit. That’s what I want to see. We want to show it on the pitch; that’s the most important thing,” he said.

The Barça head coach then addressed the situation surrounding Real Madrid, who have been well below their best in recent months.

“I always say they have fantastic, world-class players. They have a lot of talent, that’s all I can say. I’m focused on my team. The important thing is how we’re going to play, how we start the match. We want to win the title,” he insisted.

When asked about plans for the starting lineup, Flick kept his cards close to his chest, mentioning the various options at his disposal without revealing anything.

“I was very pleased with Wednesday’s performance. But we also have other options. Frenkie [De Jong] and Eric [Garcia] can play. Gerard [Martin] is having a fantastic season.

“Today we have our final training session; we’ll see what we need. Everyone is available. We’ll decide then.”

When probed again about whether the starting XI for the game had been decided, Flick replied:

“We’ll see, we’ll decide after the last training session. The important thing is that we have options in every position, and they’re all good. Everyone wants to play and be a starter. The key is the team. We have to make the right decision.”

One of the major questions for Flick heading into the final is whether Lamine Yamal is ready to play from the start, after having been left out of the XI for the semifinal due to some physical issues.

“Yes, all the players are ready to be on the team. It’s great to have them all with us,” he said, when asked about Lamine’s readiness to start.

Lamine ready to play. (Photo by Yasser Bakhsh/Getty Images)

On whether he and Barcelona see the final as a ‘double prize’ game, seeing as they can lift the trophy while condemning their rivals to a defeat, Flick replied:

“I’m focused on my team. For me, it’s just one game. If you win, you build confidence for the end of the season. That’s normal. We always think positively.

“It’s an important game, and we want to show our best. I have a good feeling about it. The players want to do it for their families, the club, for themselves…”

Talking about Real Madrid’s semifinal win over Atletico Madrid and the fact that they now have Kylian Mbappe available for the final, he added:

“Currently, Mbappe is the best striker. He has scored a lot of goals and has world-class talent. We watched the semi-finals together, the whole team.”

Talking about preparations for the final and whether things will change with respect to their defensive plans now that Mbappe was available, Flick added:

“How many Clasicos have we played in the last year and a half? And how many have we lost? We’ve lost one. That’s what it’s about.

“We’ll adapt some things, as we always do. But not specifically because of Mbappé. We’re focused on our philosophy, on our ideas.”

Continuing, he said: “Real Madrid has a fantastic team, but so do we. Everyone wants to win the title. Everyone will be watching the game. That’s what we have to focus on. Our responsibility is to enjoy ourselves and make sure our fans enjoy themselves too.”

On who sees as the favourites to win the final, the Barcelona manager explained: “A final is a final. A match against Real Madrid is completely different. Everyone wants to see El Clasico.

“We’ll try to give our best performance. We don’t listen to these things. The important thing is to be ready tomorrow. We’re focused on that. We’re confident and we believe we can win.”

Talking further about the topic, Flick added: “We want to win the final. Before Athletic, we were two games away from the title. Now it’s one. That’s what we have to think about. 90 minutes to give it our all, 100%. To play as a team.”

Regarding the atmosphere in Saudi Arabia and how he has experienced it so far, Flick remarked:

“I really appreciated the atmosphere we had at the match against Athletic. It was great. The pitch is good, the training pitches are good, the stadium is incredible.”

Finally, talking about whether revenge was on Barcelona’s minds heading into the final after the Clasico loss earlier in the season, he stated:

“Personally, I don’t like it. It was just one game. We’ve come back and we’re focused on what’s necessary. We’ve played much better and gotten better results. It was just one game.

“We’re Barcelona and we want to win everything. That’s what’s important. What I see is that my team is very focused. It’s a long road to the end of the season. Tomorrow we play against one of the best teams in the world and we have to show how good we are.”

Source: Mundo Deportivo