Flick underlines Barcelona’s objective ahead of Galatasaray clash: ‘It’s a long road to the finish’

Flick underlines Barcelona’s objective ahead of Galatasaray clash: ‘It’s a long road to the finish’ Three days after beating Getafe 3-0 in La Liga, FC Barcelona return to action tomorrow night as they face Galatasaray in the UEFA Champions League away in Istanbul . The Blaugrana started their European journey with a thumping 5-1 win over Feyenoord and will be gunning for another statement performance and victory tomorrow in Turkiye. Ahead of the crucial match, Barcelona manager Hansi Flick spoke to the media in the pre-match press conference, discussing the team’s excellent start to the season while being wary of the threat Galatasaray pose. On Galatasaray Talking about Galatasaray and the daunting atmosphere that awaits them at the stadium tomorrow, Flick said: “First, we have to be ready. It’s one of the best atmospheres in the world. Some of the things you see here are incredible. “Against big teams, they’ve improved a lot. They have good players. For us, it’s important to stick together and work on defence.” Barcelona have made a brilliant start to the season. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images) Further elaborating, he added: “ We expected Galatasaray to play like they did in their last match. “They have very good attackers, and you have to adapt; you always have to adapt, you have to adapt to the opponent and what we need. And that’s what we’ll do tomorrow.” On Barcelona’s form Barcelona are the only top team in Europe to have won each of their fixtures in all competitions so far this season. On being asked about the pressure that comes along with being the best team currently, Flick elaborated: “I don’t know if it’s pressure or the result of how we train. I always say I’m very happy with how we train, the atmosphere, but every match is different, a fresh start. It will be difficult, and we have to prove ourselves. “It’s a privilege to be here, but in football, things can change. Here, you can see that we’re all ready for the match.” On the fact that Barcelona are considered among the favourites to win the Champions League, Flick insisted that there was still a long way to go in the competition. “It’s a privilege to be in this position. We’ve worked incredibly hard, and for me, it’s a long road to the finish,” he said. “We have to play each and every match with the same mindset we had at the beginning. And obviously, with the ball at our feet, which gives us that confidence.” “All I want is to win, that’s what we all want and that’s our goal. And I’m really happy to see how much they enjoy playing football,” he added. One of the favourites to win the UCL. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images) On whether he believes that the team is hungrier than ever, Flick stated: “Of course, we have that hunger that I share with the team. Many of them won the World Cup, and we’ve seen if they still have it. “And yes, they do. It’s difficult, but they have it. We have to work for the fans, the families… it’s difficult, and the road is long.” Flick also confirmed that summer signing Gabriel Jesus is ready to start back-to-back games after making his maiden start against Getafe and scoring a goal. “Of course, he’s ready to play. Whether he plays, which we don’t know yet, we’ll decide after training. We’re very happy with him; he was a bit of a surprise, we have to admit. His behaviour is fantastic, and he’s a great player,” he said. On Real Madrid’s complaints When asked about the complaints about the refereeing coming from Real Madrid and what he made of it, Flick refused to address the matter, saying: “I hope one day I’ll learn that I never answer questions about other teams. We’re about to play against Galatasaray, let’s respect Galatasaray, the fantastic stadium, the atmosphere….”  Flick was further quizzed about Vinicius Jr.’s potential suspension for the Clasico later this month and whether he would have preferred to see the Real Madrid winger play the game. In response, he said: “You can ask me again in two weeks.” Source: Mundo Deportivo