Champions League is Barcelona’s priority, but derby remains crucial: Hansi Flick

Barcelona’s main goal this season is to win the Champions League, but coach Hansi Flick told his players on Friday to focus on the La Liga derby against Espanyol this weekend.

Atletico Madrid defeated Barca 2-0 at Camp Nou in the first leg of their quarter-final in midweek, leaving the Catalans facing an uphill battle in the Spanish capital next Tuesday.

League leaders Barca host local rivals Espanyol on Saturday with a seven-point lead over second-place Real Madrid.

«The dream of every player, the club, the fans and the coaches is to win the Champions League,» Flick told reporters.

«In every (European) match you see that the team is five percent more motivated (above) 100 percent. This is the competition, that’s why we are here.»

«We have to do our daily work, this is La Liga, but in the end winning the Champions League is the most important thing. This is the goal of my side, of the players and of the club.»

Five-time Champions League winner Barcelona last won the trophy in 2015.

The reigning Spanish champions defeated Espanyol in January and since then Manolo Gonzalez’s side have failed to win a single match and have fallen to tenth place after a strong first half of the season.

“We have a lot of players from La Masia (the club’s youth academy), they know exactly what it means to play against Espanyol,” said Flick.

“It’s a derby, we’re playing at home and I want to win it.”

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The coach indicated that he would “save minutes” by substituting some players between the two Atlético matches, but said that “whoever starts tomorrow will be a fantastic team”.

Flick said that his players will not be distracted by the visit to the Metropolitano Stadium next week.

«This is their job, what they have to do. They are very focused and ready for tomorrow,» the German coach added.

Published on April 10, 2026