Hansi Flick: 'There are no easy games in the Champions League'
A clear message from Hansi Flick. "We are playing against one of the best sides in the Champions League. They are very confident and play very well. We have to be better than them", he explained in the pre-match press conference coming from the Estádio da Luz. There was of course a nod towards the last time the sides met in the league phase, which ended 4-5, as he stated "Hopefully we are better prepared than last time. Because it will be a tough match".
Focus. Hansi Flick kept using that word, refusing to concede that FC Barcelona are favourites in this tie and that there are easy games in this phase of the Champions League. As such, the German coach isn't taking the Portuguese side lightly, stating "I really like how they play with the ball, they play with a good dynamic. It's really difficult to defend this. I think we are well prepared for it".
Beyond the collective approach, some of the more than thirty journalists present asked about individual players such as Robert Lewandowski, and he commented that "It's always good to have a striker who can score goals, but its also the team that give him the chance to score goals and it's always about the team, this is the key". Like in the Cubarsí's press conference, players from La Masia were mentioned a lot, and the German coach commented that "They are really thankful for the education they get from La Masía".