Barcelona will face a familiar foe on Wednesday night in the Champions League quarter-finals, a second side in the knockout stages that they have already faced in the league phase. Borussia Dortmund take on the Blaugrana at Montjuic, but they do have a new manager in Niko Kovac, who replaced Nuri Sahin before the knockout stages.
A manager that Hansi Flick is very familiar with. Kovac was Bayern Munich manager with Flick as his assistant before the latter eventually replaced him, going on to win the treble in 2020 that season.
“It’s something I’ve thought about a lot, I know a lot about Nico, I don’t know if that helps me or not. We know we have to be well-prepared. He’s a great coach, a great person, and it makes me happy to see him back coaching at a top club. But we will be well prepared.”
Dortmund are missing a number of players through injury, and on Monday lost Nico Schlotterbeck. Their star central defender, he has been ruled out for the rest of the season with a torn meniscus.
“They’re a very good team. Niko will be able to field a good lineup. They’re strong defensively, and I wish the injured players all the best, I know Nico well, I send him my best from Barcelona. They have very good players, and it’s a shame, but they have enough players to cover their absences.”
Ter Stegen and Iñigo Martínez are training with the group. @alexpintanel
— barcacentre (@barcacentre) April 8, 2025
Flick was not planning on making any changes to counter Kovac’s knowledge of him, or Dortmund’s alterations.
“We’re clear about how we want to play and we’ve made some commitments. We want to stay in the Champions League; we have to focus on the things that matter.”
Four months separate the tie from their clash that ended 3-2 to the Catalans at the Signal Iduna Park. Flick explained that his side would be facing a much more confident outfit this time round.
“Their confidence has changed a bit. Their passing is sharper. The results they’ve had in the Champions League and the Bundesliga have given them confidence. They have more concrete goals. They’re a team with great pace, they think very attack-wise, and we’ll have to be up to the task.”
The Blaugrana are unbeaten in 2025, with 17 wins and three draws to their name, but their stalemate with Real Betis this weekend was a firm reminder of their mortality. The Blaugrana will go into the match missing several players of their own, with Marc Casado, Marc Bernal, Marc-Andre ter Stegen and most recently Dani Olmo all out of action.
