Barcelona manager suffers family tragedy as father passes away on eve of El Clasico match

Tragedy has struck the family of Barcelona coach Hansi Flick, as his father has passed away on the eve of the highly anticipated Clasico, according to a statement released by the Catalan club on Sunday.

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The club has expressed its deepest condolences to Flick, with a statement saying: “Barcelona and the entire Blaugrana family wish to convey our affection to Hansi Flick over the passing of his father,” and further adding, “We share his pain and stand with him during this very difficult time for him and his family.”

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Hansi Flick, 61, is on the cusp of achieving a remarkable feat, as he is close to securing back-to-back La Liga titles with Barcelona, with his team currently holding an 11-point lead over Real Madrid with just four matches remaining.

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Avoiding defeat against Los Blancos at Camp Nou on Sunday would be enough for Flick's team to secure the trophy, and if they go on to win their last four league games, they will match the all-time league record of 100 points.

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A victory against Real Madrid, followed by a win against Real Betis the next weekend, would also make Barcelona the first team to win all their home matches in a 38-game La Liga season.

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The pressure is mounting on Real Madrid, who are facing the prospect of ending the season without a trophy for only the fifth time this century, and the tension surrounding the team has been palpable, boiling over in extraordinary fashion this week.