Unity is strength. Atletico Madrid enters the Copa del Rey semifinals with a big advantage, having beaten Barcelona 4-0 in the first leg at the Estadio Metropolitano.
Now, ahead of the second leg, to be played on March 3 at Spotify Camp Nou, Hansi Flick believes a comeback is possible but needs players and fans.
Flick calls for help
If Barça wants to secure its place in the Copa del Rey final and win back-to-back titles, it must win this match, and Flick knows it won’t be easy, but he doesn’t think it’s impossible either.
For this reason, the 61-year-old coach said that despite Lamine Yamal’s great performance in the previous match against Villarreal (where he scored his first hat trick), he needs all his players to face Diego Simeone’s team: “We have to play together, as a team. That’s the key,” he began by saying at a press conference, according to ESPN.
“The important thing is that the team is focused. Lamine’s first goal came after a great recovery and a great pass from Fermín. Lamine has a knack for being in the right place at the right time. Then he finished perfectly, but we need everyone,” he added.
In this way, without underestimating or singling out any of his players, Hansi emphasized the idea of playing together to win. Everyone.
Having home field advantage in this match is a huge advantage that the coach not only knows about, but will also appeal to. For this reason, he asked the fans to cheer and encourage the team from the stands:
“We want to make the impossible possible, and we believe we can do it… You must always believe, and I’m sure the fans will support us. For me, it’s important that everyone can cheer us on during the game. There must be a perfect connection between the fans and the team. I love this connection,” he said.
Added to this is the fact that Barcelona will set up a section of its stadium for around 700 people to turn Camp Nou into a pressure cooker, according to ESPN.
Meanwhile, Barça comes into the match with a significant loss: Robert Lewandowski. The Polish star suffered a bone fracture on the inside of his left eye socket against Villarreal, which is why he will have to sit out against Atlético Madrid.
Meanwhile, while Barça will face Villarreal on Tuesday, March 3, at Spotify Camp Nou, Real Sociedad (0-1) will also be playing for a place in the Copa del Rey final against Athletic Club at home, at the Reale Arena, on Wednesday, March 4.
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