Hansi Flick believes Barcelona’s Copa del Rey victory has given his team motivation ahead of their Champions League semi-final first leg against Inter on Wednesday.
Barcelona edged rivals Real Madrid in the showpiece match 3-2 on Saturday, with Joules Kounde’s 116th-minute winner sealing the club’s 32nd Copa del Rey title.
But Flick’s attention is already on this week’s clash at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys against a wounded Inter side who have seen their own treble dreams crushed.
Simone Inzaghi’s team were beaten in the Coppa Italia semi-finals by AC Milan before losing to Roma 1-0 on Sunday to drop below Napoli to second in the Serie A table.
And though Barcelona are still on a high from the euphoria of their Copa del Rey win, Flick insisted he did not need to curb the players’ emotions ahead of facing Inter.
“No, what I can see is that everyone is focused on this match, that everyone knows how important it is to be able to go to the Champions League final,” Flick told reporters.
“Also this win against Real is very important for the positive vibes, and it could push you also. We know that we have to work hard to reach the final.
“It’s a dream for everyone to be here. We have to stay focused.
“Inter have a team where some players are at an age where maybe it’s the last opportunity to reach a final, and they will give 100%.”
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Having gone the distance against Carlo Ancelotti’s side at the weekend, Flick added that he was waiting to see how his players react in training before deciding on his team.
“We’ll see tomorrow. Today is not the day to speak about the starting 11. Tomorrow we will see what happens and how they recover,” Flick said.
“Also, Inter played on Sunday, and they have fewer hours of recovery, but it’s a Champions League semi-final and everyone wants to give 100%.”
Flick added that goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny will remain his starting number one in the Champions League despite the long-awaited return of Marc-Andre ter Stegen.
Barcelona are unbeaten in their six home games against Inter in the Champions League (W5 D1).
Those five victories on home turf against them are their joint-most against an opponent in the Champions League / European Cup (also five v AC Milan).
Flick’s team have also won all six of their home games in the competition this season, scoring 21 goals. Only in 1999-00 have they scored in front of their own supporters in a single European Cup / Champions League campaign (29 in eight games).
But despite being favoured by history in this fixture, Flick insisted he would not be blinded by Inter’s poor recent form, with the Italians on a three-match losing run in all competitions for the first time since December 2017.
“The Champions League is also for Inter a big chance to win a title. They are two matches away from the final, the same as we are,” Flick added.
“It doesn’t matter about the matches in the past. I don’t think about that because it’s not my job, I’m focused on my team.”
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