Hansi Flick: 'We must play better than against Athletic'

Hansi Flick has his heart set on winning his first major trophy as FC Barcelona manager, but he knows that what stands between him and the Spanish Super Cup title is one of the most formidable opponents in world football. He described Real Madrid as such in his pre-game press conference on Saturday morning at the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium, but added that "we are fully prepared."

However, he insists that "we need to play a lot better than we did against Athletic. We made too many errors and we need to reduce them. Madrid is one of the best teams in the world in transition and they take advantage of any option you give them."

As for particular players, the German said that "Dani Olmo is very happy to be able to play again" and also commented on how well Szczęsny had performed in goal. No decision has been made yet as to who will be defending the Barça net in the final, the new Polish signing or Iñaki Peña, who until the last two games had been the first choice stopper.

Not comparable

"At the end of the day, we have to do our job" continued Flick. "We have to prepare the team well, that's what's important. It's a big game for everyone, it's a Clásico in the Super Cup, and it would be fantastic if we could win. It will be a boost for our confidence going into the rest of the season."

"My players need to forget the noise going on around them, we have to be strong ourselves ... The way we want to play is the Barça way, which did us so well in the last Clásico. We won't be doing anything different. But one Clásico can't be compared with the other. Tomorrow we will start from 0-0 and we just want to play well and win."