Champions League most important but Barca must beat Espanyol – Flick

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Barcelona’s German coach Hans-Dieter Flick smiles during a press conference on the eve of their UEFA Champions League quarter final football match against Club Atletico de Madrid at the Joan Gamper training ground in Sant Joan Despi, near Barcelona, on April 7, 2026. (Photo by MANAURE QUINTERO / AFP)

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Barcelona’s main goal this season is to win the Champions League but coach Hansi Flick on Friday told his players to focus on this weekend’s La Liga derby against Espanyol.

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Atletico Madrid beat Barca 2-0 at Camp Nou in the quarter-final first leg in midweek, leaving the Catalans with an uphill struggle next Tuesday in the Spanish capital.

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League leaders Barca host local rivals Espanyol on Saturday with a seven-point gap to Real Madrid in second.

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“The dream for every player, the club, the fans, the coaches is to win the Champions League,” Flick told reporters.

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“In every (European) game you see the team is five percent more motivated (above) 100 percent. This is the competition, this is why we are here.

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“We have to make our daily job, this is La Liga, but in the end the most important thing is to win the Champions League. This is the goal from my side, the players and the club.”

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Five-time Champions League winners Barca last won the trophy in 2015.

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The reigning Spanish champions beat Espanyol in January and since then Manolo Gonzalez’s side have failed to win a single match and have fallen to 10th after a strong first half of the season.

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“We have a lot of players from La Masia (the club’s youth academy), they know exactly what it means to play against Espanyol,” said Flick.

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“It’s a derby, we are playing at home and I want to win it.”

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The coach indicated that he would “manage minutes” by rotating some players between the two Atletico clashes, but said that “whoever is starting tomorrow will be a fantastic team”.

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Flick said that his players will not be distracted by the visit to the Metropolitano stadium next week.

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“This is their job, what they have to do. They are very focused and ready for tomorrow,” added the German coach.

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AFP

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