Hansi Flick hoping for winning homecoming
At last, football is back at Spotify Camp Nou. The game with Oviedo (Sunday 9pm CET) will be Barça's first home match of 2026, and their first at their own stadium after eight games away. Between league trips, the Super Cup, the Copa del Rey and the Champions League, it’s been a long wait.
Focused from 1 to 90
That’s also the message from Hansi Flick. In his pre-match press conference, the German coach opened with a clear statement of intent: “We’re back home and we want to win.”
But he also pointed to an issue from recent games: “Lately, the opposition have always scored first, and we want to avoid that ... We’ve made some mistakes and that’s how the goals have come. We have to be more focused for the full 90 minutes. We’ve talked about it and we will work on it.”
Key talking points
Flick was also asked about several individual players, starting with the standout performer in Prague, brace-scorer Fermín Lopez. The coach was full of praise, saying that the Andalusian “can change games, and that’s what we need. He brings intensity and dynamism, and with space he can really hurt opponents. He’s fantastic in front of goal and always presses.”
The Barça coach also spoke about Ronald Araújo’s return, noting that he “is doing very well and is an option to start.”
As for Gavi, he is still working his way back, with no rush. “He’s training and improving a lot" said Flick. "The important thing is to stay calm and go step by step. He has a long career ahead of him and there’s no need to hurry.”
Without Gavi, but with plenty of quality to call upon, Flick’s team will look to get the better of an Oviedo side returning to the Spotify Camp Nou 25 years on.