Barcelona Coach, Hansi Flick says his team will honour the life of their team doctor Carles Minarro Garcia by giving everything to win their Champions League last 16 tie against Benfica.
Barcelona’s LaLiga fixture with Osasuna last Saturday was postponed after Minarro died suddenly in the team hotel just hours before kick-off at the Camp Nou.
Flick says it has been a difficult last two days as they mourn the passing of their late team doctor, but insists that his players are dealing with the situation very well.
He added that his team would find extra motivation against Benfica, who they lead 1-0 from the first leg, to pay tribute to a man who was well-respected in the changing room.
“The team is handling the situation well. We are very focused on the game, and we want to play for him. In this situation, it is very important to win for him,” Flick said.
“We are ready for it. We have to move on and go ahead. It’s our job.
“It’s an important situation for the club to advance in the competition, and we want to do well to honour him. It’s a great loss. He was a great person and a great doctor.
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“He was unbelievable for the team and for the club. He was a fundamental part of our team who will be dearly missed.”
Before Flick’s press conference on Monday, Barcelona held a minute’s silence to pay their respects to Minarro.
Barcelona hold a slender advantage in their tie against Benfica, earning a hard-fought victory after Pau Cubarsi was sent off in the 22nd minute of the game.
They have already beaten Benfica twice in the Champions League this season, with both victories coming away from home (5-4 in January and 1-0 last week).
Benfica have never previously been beaten three times by the same opponent in the same European campaign, though Flick is confident his team will keep the momentum going and advance to the quarter-finals.
Flick’s side are unbeaten in their last eight games in the Champions League Winning 7 and Drawing 1, the longest current run in the competition.
They last had a longer unbeaten run within the same Champions League campaign in 2018-19 winning 11 games, when they were one game away from reaching the final they were eliminated by Liverpool in the semi-finals.
Barcelona are also on a 16-game unbeaten run across all competitions and in contention for three major titles.
The Blaugrana are leading in the LaLiga and have reached the Copa del Rey semi-finals in which they drew 4-4 with Atletico Madrid in the first leg before the April 2 return.
“We are in a very good moment, in a fantastic dynamic. We hope to continue like this,” Flick said.
“I see the team very focused. This morning, we had a talk, and we went through all the good things they had done lately.
“Nobody has taken anything for granted. That’s the most important thing. The team, if it has a good dynamic, for me, that’s the most important thing.”
(Editor: Paul Akhagbemhe)
