Hansi Flick emphasised the importance of putting Atlético Madrid under pressure as Barcelona look to overturn a two-goal deficit and qualify for the UEFA Champions League semifinals.
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Barça slipped to a 0-2 defeat at the Spotify Camp Nou in the first leg of their quarterfinal tie last week, with Pau Cubarsí’s dismissed in the first half before goals from Julián Álvarez and Alexander Sorloth handed los Colchoneros the upper hand.
But speaking in his pre-match press conference in the Spanish capital, Flick insisted that Tuesday’s second leg will be “totally different” to previous games against Atléti and revealed that he is confident his players “can make it happen”.
“We have to focus more on a strong performance, not the result, because when we play well then we are also able to score goals,” the 61-year-old explained on Monday.
“I have the feeling that this is totally different because the atmosphere in the stadium will be unbelievable. The fans know what happens and what is necessary, so it’s tough for us but I believe in my team and I believe that we can make it happen. It’s possible – why not?
“I know we play against a strong Atlético and they have fantastic players also in the offence, so we need a very strong and stable defence, but also we have to be brave in offence. We have to press, we have to use every chance. When you see the last game, that’s the difference between them and us but maybe tomorrow is totally different.”
Barcelona responded well to last week’s defeat, moving nine points clear of Real Madrid in the LaLiga standings with a 4-1 victory against Espanyol in the Saturday’s derbi barceloní. Flick says that what he saw from his side in that game “is important for tomorrow.
“I can say it after the victory against Espanyol. the connection between the team and the supporters is unbelievable. It shows also to the players the respect that they give to us about the performance we did in the last one and a half years. This also maybe has a positive effect for the team because here, tomorrow everyone is important.
“We have to believe that we can do that. Of course, it has to do with playing football and defending well, but also to be brave in the offence. We have the quality in the games and against Atlético, we are often the better team,” the German expressed.
He continued: “In the end, it’s always very complex and it’s also important that you make pressure because Atlético are a good team and if they have no pressure, they can play out and that’s not easy to defend. We need the right connection between the players but at the end, like I said before, games are often decided by momentum. There was the red card, there was also the goalkeeper playing the ball and touching the ball with his hand but no red card. Maybe tomorrow, it’s on our side. My fingers are crossed.”
Atlético Madrid v Barcelona gets underway at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano at 20:00 BST on Tuesday 14 April.