Hansi Flick: 'We have to start with conviction'

Hansi Flick is well aware of what's to come at the Westfalenstadion. "It's one of the nicest stadiums, has a great atmosphere, and the fans really get behind their team", he assured during the press conference in the run-up to the Borussia Dortmund v Barça match on Wednesday. He has faced them five times before (as Bayern Munich coach) and won every time so far.

He is now coming up against them as Barça coach and in the Champions League. Different circumstances, but the goal is the same – three points to take Barça closer to the round of 16. "The winner will be very close to the next round and we want that to be us", he assured.

Nothing to prove

The team arrive in Dortmund after winning just one of their last five games in LaLiga. “It's normal for there to be the odd setback. I really trust the team. Every training session I see how committed the team are and how the players are progressing, they are very young, every day”, he continued.

He ruled out that this Wednesday's game in Dortmund is a test of where Barça are at, because his team have already shown what they are capable of during the start of this season. "We played some very good games against Real Madrid or Bayern Munich, or at the start of the season against other teams, when we have shown we can do great things", he stated.

The coach also spoke about the importance of starting games with "conviction". “We should try to show maturity as a team. We should start games with conviction. We will do better in games if we do that”, he assured. He associated it with the youthful nature of the squad. "It's a very young team, they have all the will in the world, and they want to develop, and that's what I care about most", he explained.

"We are happy that Araujo is back"

Lastly, Hansi Flick commented on the return to the squad for Ronald Araujo. “We are very happy that Ronald is back. He's a player you enjoy seeing in training sessions, he gives his all, and passes that energy on to his teammates. It's important that we don't run any risk with him”, he concluded.