Barça face a more than tricky visit to Vigo in their last match before another international break, the final one until March. Their opponents, Celta, are on a roll, with five straight wins across La Liga, the Copa del Rey and the Europa League, and are a difficult team to read, led by a coach, Claudio Giráldez, who who makes constant rotations in his line-ups.
Grateful for confidence
Speaking ahead of the match, Hansi Flick acknowledged that “Celta are in a good moment of form, perhaps in a better situation than us. But everything will depend on our attitude. We want to win and go into the break with three points.”
The German coach also thanked the club for its confidence, following the public shows of support from president Laporta and Deco, saying that “it’s always important.”
From a footballing perspective, he admitted that “in Bruges we saw that our defensive line sometimes drops too deep. The forwards are further away than they should be, and we need to be more connected, with and without the ball. We’ve talked about it, and I hope we can improve.”
Joan García ruled out; Koundé a serious doubt
Flick confirmed that Joan García is still ruled out, although he said he was “very happy with his progress” and expects him to “return after the break.”
Jules Koundé, however, remains a major doubt, having failed to complete the team’s final training session before the match.
Loving Spotify Camp Nou
The Barça coach also reflected on the extraordinary Friday session that he and the whole club experienced, with 21,795 people attending the open training session at the Spotify Camp Nou. Flick said that “the first impression was fantastic. You could feel the history of the stadium.”
Now he’s eager to experience it on a matchday, believing that “once we’re able to play there, it will definitely help us… For the club’s future, it’s very important, I congratulate everyone who has worked on it.”
