German Hansi Flick, head coach of FC Barcelona's first football team, spoke about the match against Valencia in the Spanish La Liga, 2026/2027 season.
The Blaugrana are preparing to face Valencia tomorrow, Sunday afternoon, in the fourth round of the Spanish La Liga.
Barcelona will be the away team against Valencia at the "Mestalla" stadium at 5:15 PM Cairo and Mecca time.
Barcelona enters this match after a thrilling 5-2 victory over Rayo Vallecano in the match that brought the two teams together at the "Spotify Camp Nou" stadium.
Flick said at the pre-match press conference: "The captains? I have been here for two years and I know a lot about the team. I decided to choose two captains, Rafinha and Pedri, and three behind them: Eric Garcia, Frenkie de Jong, and Lamine."
He added: "Real Madrid's defeat? Madrid played very well and created many chances. What is important for us is to focus on ourselves, on our style. Playing at 4:15 PM will be difficult, but we do not make excuses; playing there at Mestalla is not easy."
He added regarding Gabriel Jesus: "I really liked what I saw from him. He is not 100% ready, but he is prepared to play for a few minutes. He is one of the options to play tomorrow in the second half, depending on how the match goes, but he is definitely ready. He has great composure in front of the goal."
He continued: "We have players of amazing quality. When I watch the training sessions, I always think the team's quality is very good, how we press, pass, and fight. In every training session, you can see that we have top-level players, but in the end, the most important thing is winning titles at Barcelona."
He elaborated on the captains again: "For me, when I look at the team and the players we have, and who can influence the team, I see Rafinha and Pedri. I did not want to choose the others; I wanted them because they are very important to us and are always in the starting lineup."
He continued: "It was an easy decision because I know the team better now. In previous seasons, we had players like Marc (Ter Stegen) or Araujo or Frenkie, who did not play much. The five new captains, and I am really happy with them; they can help us, talk to the players, and take responsibility."
He pointed out: "Morale is important, and we have it, in addition to a positive atmosphere within the team. It is important to train daily and develop, and as I always say, everyone is working in that direction, and I am enjoying it so far."
Regarding Kounde: "What I can say is that he is a top-class professional. It is true that he is not a starter this season, but he sees it as a big challenge. I know he is capable of playing as a center-back, but he prefers the full-back position because he performed exceptionally well there in his first season. We always think about the team's interest, but what I can say is that he is making a tremendous effort to regain his best form."
Regarding the departing players: "I decided with Deco, and with the departure of some players, we had to sign replacements. For me, it is not easy to let players from the La Masia academy leave and tell them to go in order to develop, because I understand that their dream is to play for Barcelona, but here we want to win titles and raise the team's level. We are in a good position now, and changes are normal."
Regarding relying on Rafinha as a center forward: "Rafa, even when playing as a winger, always moves to the center and performs very well. He plays as a true striker; he is currently our best option in this position thanks to his pressing power and speed."
Regarding the rest for players who participated in the World Cup, led by Lamine Yamal, he concluded: "For Lamine, we have to wait and see if it is better for him to rest or not. He is a player who always prefers to play football, so it was important for me for him to play a full 90 minutes on his home turf to improve his mental state and regain his best form. The last match was very good; it is better for him to play a full 90 minutes and then undergo a recovery session the next day."