Flick talks Gavi, Laporta, Pellegrini, Antony, rotations ahead of Barcelona vs Real Betis | OneFootball

FC Barcelona will be aiming to stretch their excellent run of results in 2025 when they take on Real Betis in La Liga on Saturday night at Montjuic.

The Blaugrana have opened up a three-point gap over Real Madrid in the league table, although that lead could be erased given that Los Blancos play Valencia earlier on Saturday.

Barça will be up against a Real Betis team that is in fine form in La Liga, winning six games in a row. And the Catalans’ manager, Hansi Flick, is very much aware that it will not be an easy match.

“It will be a tough game. We’ve already played them twice and we’ll have to give our best. We must concentrate on recovering well and looking for the win,” he stated.

Praising Real Betis manager Manuel Pellegrini and their new signing Antony, Flick added:

“Pellegrini is doing a great job. He is a fantastic and experienced coach. He has new players like Antony, how he is playing after coming from Manchester United, and the team is playing very well.”

Regarding the team’s performance in the Copa del Rey semi-final against Atletico Madrid, the German tactician noted:

“The image the team gave was very good. The style we played with the ball was unbelievable. Of course, we can improve and we made some mistakes but it is true that we have improved a lot.

“We have the quality to win games but it will be difficult tomorrow.”

Talking about the players’ fitness levels and the physical wear and tear on the squad due to the schedule, he remarked:

“We check everything every day, how the players are doing. But at the highest level, there are always matches all the time and it is very important to recover the players.

“My team works hard all around and it’s not easy, but when you’re winning games, it gives you a lot of confidence. You always have to think about the next game and I really like what I see now in the dressing room.”

On whether there will be any rotations made to the lineup tomorrow, he noted: “We have to manage this whole issue with so many matches we have. It is normal.

“I spoke to the experts and we decided together what to do and how many minutes they can play each game. We are not looking at Dortmund yet but at Betis. We must have fresh legs on the pitch tomorrow.”

Flick went on to confirm that Barcelona midfielder Gavi will be able to play against Betis after having had to sit out of the Atletico Madrid clash due to some discomfort.

“We decided to rest him against Atlético because he had some discomfort. He has no problems now. I have spoken to the doctors and the recovery team and he is fit to play tomorrow,” said Flick.

Gavi will be ready to play tomorrow. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

Talking about the possibility of winning the treble and that Barcelona might have to go through three more El Clasico fixtures against Real Madrid to accomplish the objective, Flick remarked:

“Thinking about the treble is all very well but we mustn’t focus on dreams. We have to look to the next game. It’s good that the players have confidence in themselves but my role is to make sure they give their best in every game.

“We are fighting for everything, we believe in that and we have the support of the players. We need the fans. It’s a good situation but we are still in it.”

At the same time, though, Flick insisted that Atletico Madrid are still not out of the La Liga title race, saying:

“It’s not a league title race of two yet. There are still nine games left. It’s not between Barça and Real. There are other teams with the quality to win this league.”

The former Germany head coach then opened up on the fearless nature of the Barcelona dressing room, saying:

“It’s hard work. The players have a fantastic attitude with a good mentality, the older ones and the younger ones. We have to think about giving 100% and if we play as a team it’s fantastic.

“We are doing that in the last few months. Everyone is giving their all in training, those on the bench…. Everybody. It’s a big step towards success.”

On what he and Barcelona president Joan Laporta are dreaming, heading into the final phase of the season, Flick stated:

“I don’t know what the president is dreaming about. I imagine nice things. What I can say is that I want to win every game and play 15 more games for the team, the club and the fans. If we achieve this, I will be very happy.”

Discussing the area of improvement and the mistakes that the team need to correct, the Barcelona manager elaborated:

“When we have possession, we see the fantastic tempo but many teams know how to use mistakes when we have the ball. So we have to concentrate on that and eliminate options for the opposition.

“It’s nothing else. Sometimes we can concede a lot of space on the counter-attack and that’s what we want to eliminate.”

The manager also hailed the contribution of his staff members, stating: “I don’t like to talk about myself. I have a great team around me, with experts who help me a lot, to apply the right idea of football.

“I just try to help the players and it’s fantastic how the team is improving. You can see the atmosphere in the dressing room. It’s fantastic.”

Source: Mundo Deportivo