“Let’s go for it”: Flick’s speech before the semi-final of the Cup

Hansi Flick had a happy birthday on Monday. A day of celebrations full of the most complete. He lived a very special day for a round number. Not in vain he turned 60 , the first he celebrated in the Barça dugout. He agreed to have the players make a corridor of slaps for him, the mascot CAT gave him a cake, some fans at the exit of the sports city made him blow out the candles, he was congratulated in the press room and even LaLiga joined in the celebrations by proclaiming him best coach of February.

This Tuesday will be different. The celebrations are over. The merriment has passed. Wishes were made but now we have to open our eyes and earn them. Atlético are not going to give gifts nor are they coming as guests. Few rivals are more serious than Simeone's. The first leg of the Copa del Rey semi-finals is not going to be a party.

Lewandowski, Raphinha, Lamine Yamal plus Ferran Torres The most prolific forward line, with 78 goals, faces the team that has conceded the fewest goals in the League, with 16 goals conceded

The Blaugrana know this well, having suffered against the Colchoneros in La Liga on December 21. Pedri put the home side ahead, who shot 19 times, were saved by Oblak six times and hit the woodwork once, but they saw De Paul and Sorloth, the latter in the 96th minute, beat Iñaki Peña and came back to take the three points. Since then, no one has been able to beat Barcelona, ​​unbeaten in their 13 games in 2025.

“I have learned from that day that we can play great football,” was the lesson Flick learned. “We played at a very high level and could have scored one or two more goals. When you have chances, you have to score them because that is what matters in football. We must not forget that it will be two games,” he recalled, recalling the return leg at the Metropolitano on April 2. “For us that does not change and we go for it in every game.”

“Referees don’t have to protect special players, they have to take care of everyone” Hansi Flick Barcelona Coach

The coach, who predicts a “tough match”, therefore appealed to fans during the week for a match at 9.30 pm. “We hope the stadium is full. We need your support.”

The best attack is facing the most ironclad defence. Of the 116 goals scored by Barcelona, ​​78 have been scored by the trident formed by Lewandowski, Raphinha and Lamine Yamal, plus the substitute Ferran Torres. Meanwhile, Atlético are the team that has conceded the fewest goals in La Liga (16 conceded) and only three teams have scored more than one goal against them: Benfica and Lille in the Champions League and Sevilla in La Liga, although they lost 4-3. “Atlético are a great team. They have invested a lot. They have the best defence and they have incredible players in attack,” praised the German, who did not overlook the 180 million euros spent on signings, which is three times that of Barça.

The missing piece The attacking midfielder, who opened the scoring in Las Palmas, can now play from the start and even the entire match, according to his coach

Flick will have doubts about Lamine Yamal until the end. He was unable to train yesterday due to an injury to his left foot caused by a stamp in Las Palmas. The 17-year-old winger was unable to play in the 1-2 draw due to injury. The coach is optimistic. “We have to wait and see, but I think he will be able to play . I have positive feelings and that is what the doctor has told me,” he revealed.

In this sense, Flick does not ask for special protection for the Barça star but he did advise the referees to take good care of all the players because that way good football will be preserved. “I am not saying that the referees have to protect the special players but all of them. It has also happened to us with Olmo or Casadó, who received hard fouls. There should be more sensitivity. If they see a yellow card, the defenders might think twice before committing another foul. In Spain, one-on-one is very popular, it is a characteristic of their own, so we must take care of it,” he argued.

Now Dani Olmo can play and that's what counts. We'll see what happens. I'm surprised by some of the things that happen in Spain and at the club. Hansi Flick Barcelona Coach

He seemed more resigned to the schedule and the rest after the match against Real Sociedad was moved back a day to Sunday, before travelling to Lisbon. “From what I have heard, Benfica's match has been cancelled and they have a whole week. It is LaLiga that makes the schedule, it does not depend on us. In Germany we can talk to the league and the Federation.”

The coach preferred not to enter into a direct confrontation with Tebas, who does not want Dani Olmo to finish the season at Barça. “I don’t want to comment. Now he can play and that’s what counts. We’ll see what happens. I’m surprised by some of the things that happen in Spain and at the club,” he confessed. The attacking midfielder, who opened the scoring in Las Palmas , can now play from the start and even the whole match, according to Flick. Olmo was the piece he needed to go all out . In the Cup he is two games away from the final.