Barcelona manager Hansi Flickplaceholder image
Barcelona manager Hansi Flick | Getty Images
Newcastle United are preparing for a mammoth trip to Barcelona in the Champions League.
Hansi Flick has warned his Barcelona players they risk being dumped out of the Champions League.
Despite preparing for Newcastle United with a 5-2 win over Sevilla, the German was not impressed by his team’s performance. Barca rested several star performers for the La Liga victory.
Lamine Yamal was rested and came on for the closing stages, with captain Ronald Araujo also on the bench. Midfield magician Pedri started the game but was hooked at half-time as the Catalans led 4-1.
‘We need to be’ - Hansi Flick
Speaking post-match, Flick has urged the Barcelona squad to “do better” - or risk being dumped out by Newcastle. He said: “A lot of things were good but at times we did not play with the conviction I wanted to see in my team. This is a huge week and we need to be at 100 per cent on Wednesday against Newcastle United, because otherwise… we are out of the Champions League.
“We need to do things better. There are many things going well but there are situations on the pitch that are not fantastic. We have many games left but we need to play faster, we need to focus, Newcastle is a very good team.
“When we lost possession, (against Sevilla) we could have pressed better. Now the Champions League is coming up and it is important to do well…I think we could have done much better (against Sevilla).”
Eddie Howe positive after Chelsea win
Eddie Howe believes Newcastle now have “huge belief” ahead of the second leg after edging out Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. He said: "It gives us huge belief. I think we needed to win today to give us any chance of winning in Barcelona and progressing through the Champions League.
“It's such a difficult game, but you need that confidence that winning gives you. That's back-to-back wins in the Premier League now, which is so important. We'll be in a better place for and now all eyes are on Barcelona.
“I think our defensive mentality was key. We were really good off the ball, in every respect. We rode our luck at times in the second half, but with the amount of times we've been hurt this season I thought we deserved it."
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