Hansi Flick: Barcelona out to show they can handle ‘best league in the world’

Hansi Flick has challenged Barcelona to prove they can deal with the spending power of “the best league in the world” as they face Newcastle with a Champions League quarter-final berth at stake.

The Magpies stand between the five-times European champions and a place in the last eight, with Tuesday night’s first leg at St James’ Park and next Wednesday’s return at the Nou Camp set to decide which club progresses.

Newcastle are one of six Premier League sides to make it to the last 16 and, while Barca head coach Flick is well aware of that, he is confident that the Catalan giants, who last lifted the trophy in 2015, have the quality to more than compete.

He said: “The Premier League is a great league – for me, it’s the best league in the world and they have strong teams. Of course, they have also a lot of money to make the right decisions hopefully, but they have done it because they are… how many, six teams now in the next round?

“For me, okay, we are strong, we have huge quality also, not only Newcastle or Manchester City or Arsenal or Tottenham or like the others.

“We have to continue our way, our style, how we want to play. This is our philosophy. We want to play like Barca also here in the Champions League because our supporters are proud of us and the way we play football, so this is what we want to show also tomorrow.”

It will be the second time the clubs have met on Tyneside this season, with Barca having won 2-1 courtesy of Marcus Rashford’s double in the first game of the group phase in September.

The Magpies have endured an inconsistent season since, but Flick is aware that they have largely saved their best for the European games.

He said: “The Champions League is different. Everyone who plays now at this stage wants to show their best.

“They are a team which on transition, they have very fast players and very good players, outstanding players and we have to handle that and manage it.”

The German’s comments came amid a row between club president Joan Laporta and Flick’s predecessor Xavi Hernandez and against the backdrop of next week’s presidential election, but he was focusing solely in a key 90 minutes in north-east England.

He said: “It’s one of the most important weeks in the season now because we want to go to the next round, We have here a game and we have to focus on the game.

“What I can say is everything here in Barcelona is great. I’m here one-and-a-half years and I’m enjoying every single day working with this fantastic team, with these fantastic players, with this staff around.

“Now we are building this club also for the future. This is what we want to do. When I have gone, maybe the next coach can say, ‘Okay, Hansi did a fantastic job, I have good infrastructure’. This is what we are doing now.

“Everyone gives everything for this club. This is what I want to say nothing else.”