Flick talks Cubarsi, Lewandowski, Araujo, Christensen, Ancelotti, renewal ahead of Espanyol vs Barcelona | OneFootball

Following their 4-3 comeback win over Real Madrid at the weekend, FC Barcelona are on the cusp of winning the La Liga title.

A victory against their bitter rivals Espanyol in tomorrow’s Catalan derby at the RCDE Stadium will be enough for Hansi Flick & co. to complete the domestic treble, after already having won the Spanish Super Cup and the Copa del Rey.

In fact, if Real Madrid slip up in their game against Mallorca tonight, the Blaugrana will be crowned champions even before kickoff tomorrow.

As the title triumph appears closer than ever, Flick spoke to the media in the pre-match press conference, addressing various matters including Pau Cubarsi who suffered a scare in training today.

Kicking off, the Barcelona manager gave his thoughts on the opponents, saying: “It’s a derby and Espanyol have had a great second half of the season.

“They have key new players and with them, they have improved a lot. They have a very clear style of play and we will have to be very focused.”

As mentioned earlier, Cubarsi suffered a minor scare in training when he picked up a blow after a strong challenge from Robert Lewandowski. Providing an update on the youngster, Flick said:

“He’s fine. He has finished training after the knock and tomorrow he can play.”

The Barcelona boss also confirmed that Lewandowski himself is fully fit and ready to play, saying: “He’s fine and he’s ready to play.”

On being asked if he would prefer to win the title on the pitch tomorrow or tonight itself if Real Madrid drop points, Flick replied:

“I haven’t decided if I will watch the game. For us the most important thing to focus on tomorrow.”

On being probed about any possible rotations to the starting lineup for tomorrow’s derby, the manager refused to give anything away.

“Today I have decided that I will not talk about the starting XI,” he stated.

Amid reports from reliable sources claiming that Flick and Barcelona have reached a total agreement for his contract renewal, the German tactician refused to comment on the matter, saying:

“I think now is not the right time to talk about this. I am very happy here and I have one more year. I had a dinner where the president was there but it was nothing planned.”

With the season still not over, Flick also declined to comment on Barcelona’s possible signings for the next season, as he said:

“I think now is not the time to talk about these issues.”

On the cusp of another title. (Photo by Fran Santiago/Getty Images)

The Barcelona head coach then had some nice words for Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti, who will be leaving at the end of the La Liga season.

“He has done a fantastic job at Madrid. He is a gentleman and one of the best coaches in the world. I wish him all the best in his new job,” remarked Flick.

On the possible celebrations at the RCDE Stadium like Barcelona did two years ago when they won the league under Xavi Hernandez, the current manager said:

“I don’t think it’s a good idea to think about celebrations before the game. I know what happened and it’s something to do with respect. We have to fight Espanyol for the three points and then we’ll do the right thing.”

With Inigo Martinez unavailable for tomorrow’s game through suspension, Flick has to choose between Ronald Araujo and Andreas Christensen to partner Cubarsi in defence. Addressing that, he said:

“Eric and Andreas can both play as centre-backs. Christensen is training very well and when he plays he helps us a lot.”

“I don’t like what happened with Araujo, I like to defend my players and we all make mistakes, these are things that happen. It’s all about respect again, we’ve talked about it and he’s fine.”

Finally, on being asked if he would write a book about Barcelona’s dominance over Real Madrid in the Clasicos this season, Flick replied:

“I have already written a book and I don’t plan to write another one. I don’t think it has anything to do with tomorrow’s game. It’s great to see how we played and came back the other day. Those 24 minutes when Madrid didn’t come into our half were fantastic.”

Source: SPORT