Barcelona head coach Hansi Flick has played down rumors of his side lifting the Champions League trophy this year, insisting he is only focused on winning Tuesday's match at Benfica.
Flick was full of praise for Liverpool, who top the Champions League with a perfect 18 points, three ahead of second-placed Barcelona, followed by six teams on 13 points.
The top eight automatically qualify for the round of 16, and the next 16 teams meet in two-legged play-offs for the right to join them. Benfica is currently 15th with 10 points.
“The future will show whether we are among the favorites or not,” Flick said at a press conference on Monday. “The Champions League is one of the most difficult competitions to win, but we have to try.
“When I look at Liverpool I see a team with incredible strength. They are one of my favorite teams in the world right now.
“We are doing well, but there are very good teams that are also doing well, and we are competing on three fronts [Champions League, LaLiga and Copa del Rey].
“Benfica is a team that is playing very well. It is a pleasure to see how they are building up. Angel Di Maria is one of my favorite players. Let's see how we do tomorrow.”
Tomorrow we'll get into trouble. pic.twitter.com/EXwbpP9G2l
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) January 20, 2025
Despite Barcelona's Champions League form and place in the quarter-finals of the Copa del Rey after a 5-1 thrashing of Real Betis last week, they are off course in LaLiga.
Their last league success was a 5-1 win away to Mallorca in early December, and they are now on a four-match winless streak after a 1-1 draw with lowly Getafe on Saturday.
Barca in third place has 39 points from twenty games and leaders Real Madrid with seven points, and Atletico Madrid with five.
Nevertheless, Flick is happy with his side's LaLiga performance and is looking forward to playing at Estadio da Luz, where he won the Champions League with Bayern Munich in 2020.
“I have great memories of this stadium,” Flick said. “If you look at the LaLiga results, we are not doing well. But if you look at our matches, we are playing very well.
“Despite the results, I would say that the team is playing great and working very focused. As I said in Getafe, it is my first season here and in LaLiga. I had no experience and I did not know how the opposition was going to play.” play.
“Our goal is to beat Benfica. It would be a big step for us, and we want to do that. In the position we are in, second, it is important to secure these points.”
“There are still many games to go between now and the end of the season, and we could save two games if we avoid the play-offs by finishing in the top eight.”
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