Barcelona are preparing to take on Benfica in the first leg of their Champions League round of 16 tie, but they so without knowing if Gavi is able to play at the Estadio da Luz on Wednesday night. The midfielder, who also missed the weekend victory over Real Sociedad, has been suffering with illness.
Speaking in his pre-match press conference (via MD), Barcelona head coach Hansi Flick gave an update on Gavi’s situation, which will be determined by the medical staff.
“We’ll see. Yesterday he did not train because he did not feel well. The doctor will see it and make up his mind.”
Flick also spoke on the midfield debate involving Gavi and Dani Olmo. Both players that played alongside Marc Casado/Frenkie de Jong and Pedri in recent weeks, and the German believes that they are each excellent in their own regards.
“Gavi can play in different positions, he presses and gives us a defensive mood. He also plays well with the ball. Olmo enjoys that place – he scores goals and generates chances.”
Flick was also asked about Robert Lewandowski, whose goal against La Real at the weekend saw him break the personal goalscoring record for a season since moving to Barcelona in the summer of 2022. The Polish striker is on 34 goals for the campaign.
“It’s always good to have a striker who scores so many goals and that the team gives him that opportunity. It is a collective mission. That is the key. We have to continue as we have these last two months.”
Barcelona will hope that Lewandowski is firing in Lisbon on Wednesday night, as he was during the previous meeting between the two teams when he netted twice from the penalty is a remarkable 5-4 victory for the Catalan giants. A similar result this time around would be welcomed, although Flick will hope that his side is better defensively.
