Barcelona need to play ‘perfect game’ to beat Newcastle in Champions League | OneFootball

Barcelona boss Hansi Flick says his side need to be at their very best to beat Newcastle United in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday night.

The Blaugrana required a last-minute penalty to come away from the first leg with a draw after struggling to get to grips with the Magpies’ physicality and directness at St. James’ Park.

Harvey Barnes broke the deadlock with just five minutes of normal time remaining to put them on the brink over their first win over Barça in 19 years.

But Lamine Yamal scored from the penalty with the last kick of the game after Malick Thiaw clumsily upended Dani Olmo in the box.

Hansi Flick: Barcelona need to play the ‘perfect game’ to beat Newcastle

“It will be a tough game tomorrow,” Flick said at his pre-match press conference. “They are very fast players and we have to play our perfect game tomorrow. This is very important and we have to try to do this.”

When asked if he thinks Barcelona can win the Champions League this year, he answered: “We know a lot of things about football and how quickly things can change but we can be positive as we have massive quality in the team and I think we can win this Champions League.

“But we also need to improve, players need to be available and everyone needs to be on their best level so this is the most important things for the next few weeks.”

Yamal was kept quiet in the reverse fixture and Flick knows that Barcelona will need the teenager to pull out a performance if they are to advance to the quarter-finals. 

“Lamine is a player who can make the difference and for me, yesterday and today were fantastic training sessions from him and the team,” the German coach said. “The Champions League is one of the best competitions in the world and for everyone who wants to play in it, it’s extra motivation for every player.”

Read – The biggest ever comebacks in the Champions League knockouts

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