Flick: Barcelona must ‘eliminate mistakes’ to claim Champions League win

Barcelona's recent form is worrying Hansi Flick as they look to end a two-match winless run against Brest in the Champions League.

Barcelona enjoyed a remarkable seven-match winning streak in October and early November before stumbling to a 1-0 defeat to Real Sociedad and a 2-2 draw against Celta Vigo in LaLiga, with Lamine Yamal absent from both games.

After losing their opening Champions League match to Monaco, Barcelona have since won three in a row, including a thumping 4-1 victory over Bayern Munich.

Flick, who took charge in May, said his young side must learn to deal with adversity and that a positive result against Brest would be a good start.

“The most important thing is to win and that is our focus for tomorrow's match,” Flick told a news conference. “It's about eliminating the mistakes, this is important. We have a lot of things we can do better with the ball and this is the focus.

“We have a young team, the youngest in LaLiga, and it is not always easy… It is important that the players know that they are good, that they have quality and that they must stay together.

“We want to teach them something and I always think positively. It is a young team and during the season it is normal that these kinds of times happen. For me the most important thing is to learn from it.”

Barcelona will be without Yamal again for their Champions League match as he continues to recover from an ankle sprain, with the team having lost all three LaLiga matches he has not started this season.

HANSI FLICK on Lamine Yamal: pic.twitter.com/ndnqXM5A6D

— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) November 25, 2024

He has been crucial for the Blaugrana this season and is the only player in Europe's top five leagues to have completed more than 25 dribbles (34), created 25+ chances (26), had 25+ shots (39), 5 has scored + goals (five) and provided 5+ assists (seven).

“We all know how talented he is [Yamal] is and how his quality on the pitch can influence a match,” added Flick.

“Lamine has a quality that ensures that you have more ball possession, but also ensures that the opponent gives us more space.

“I think and hope this is the last game he misses [on Monday] he looked very good [in training] but we'll have to wait. “I hope he's an option on Saturday… maybe from the bench… but we'll see.”

Defender Inigo Martinez supported his teammates to overcome Yamal's absence.

“We know how important Lamine is. He gives us a lot, is a difference maker who pushes back the defensive line, he is aggressive, generates assists and creates a lot of fear in the opponent,” said Martinez.

“He is vital and very important, but that doesn't mean the next player won't be at the same level.

“Anyone who joins Barcelona must be able to play at the highest level. The day Lamine doesn't play and we win, this chat will disappear that we can't win without him. We have enough [in the] team to win every game.”