Hansi Flick has said Barcelona have the quality to win the Champions League — and then asked for calm. On the eve of Wednesday’s league-phase opener against Feyenoord at the Spotify Camp Nou, the German said the trophy is within reach of this squad but that the road to it is long.
It was the clearest Flick Barcelona Champions League statement of the season so far, delivered in a press conference of just 12 questions — three fewer than Lamine Yamal took from the same seat.
The Flick Barcelona Champions League message: quality, then proof
“It’s the biggest competition and we have the quality to win it, but we have to prove it. And we want to do just that,” Flick said, per Barca Universal. “At the end of the day, all the big clubs dream of winning it.”
Mundo Deportivo reported the same answer with the caveat attached: the path is very long, and every big club dreams of the same thing. What Flick did offer was a read on his dressing room. “I can see a lot of intensity and a real desire to play football. There’s also a lot of communication within the team,” he said. “They’re on the same page and work really hard on the pitch. Everyone’s ready to win it, and that’s a very good thing.”
Lamine Yamal, the captaincy and the Ballon d’Or
The manager was warm on Lamine, who has been given a place in the captaincy group this season behind club captain Raphinha. “Lamine is a player who decides matches on his own, he has enormous quality. He loves to improve,” Flick said. “What I also see now is that he is enjoying his new responsibility as a captain, and that is important for him to be at his maximum level.”
On the 19-year-old’s Ballon d’Or candidacy, Flick declined to name a favourite from his own squad. “We have a lot of fantastic players and I would be happy if they won it. We’ll see. But the most important thing is his attitude and the mentality day to day.”
Barcelona have three names on the 30-man list published on Tuesday — Lamine, Pau Cubarsi and Rodri — with Pedri, Raphinha, Dani Olmo and Fermin Lopez all left off. Our piece on the 2026 Ballon d’Or nominees and the snubs has the breakdown, and Lamine gave his own answer at Tuesday’s press conference.
No obsession, and no single leader
The word ‘obsession’ came up twice, once with Rodri floated as the man to steady the group. Flick sidestepped it. “There are plenty of experienced players. What matters is the team. We all have to give our all, every single day,” he said, before nodding to the start Barcelona have made: four wins from four, which he pointed out is not easy.
He was equally direct about a squad in which he cannot keep everyone happy: some players may not be content with their situation, he said, and the only way to play is to show it in training.
Team news: Eric Garcia suspended, Bisiwu left out
Mundo Deportivo report that Frenkie de Jong and Roony Bardghji were the only players missing from the final session at the Camp Tito Vilanova. Both are long-term absentees, and Bardghji is not registered for the competition.
Eric Garcia trained in a protective mask but is suspended for the Feyenoord tie, carrying over the red card from last season’s European exit at Atletico Madrid. Jesse Bisiwu did train after the ankle scare he suffered in the Copa Catalunya final, but Flick left him out. “He is connected with us. He won’t be there tomorrow. He has plenty of chances to play with us,” the manager said.
That leaves Cubarsi and Andreas Christensen as the likely centre-back pairing; our predicted line-up and team news has the rest of the XI. The squad is named on Wednesday, with kick-off at the Spotify Camp Nou at 18:45 CEST (17:45 BST).
Flick’s press-conference quotes and the squad absences are reported by Mundo Deportivo and its training report, translated here from the Spanish. English-language quotes are as published by Barca Universal.
