Hansi Flick: 'The Super Cup gave us energy last year and we want that again'

It's about to begin. There is going to be a 2026 Spanish Super Cup winner and Barça want to retain their crown. However, two opponents stand in the way first, the first of which are Athletic Club. The Basque side are again facing the blaugranes in the Super Cup semi-finals, with the game kicking off at 8.00pm CET on 7 January in Jeddah.

Already settled in Saudi Arabia, first team coach Hansi Flick weighed up a game that he expects to be tough against “one of the best teams in Spain”. The blaugrana coach emphasised the importance of the tournament and the good memories from last time, stating “This tournament is a bit different from the one played in Germany, but I like it. There are four teams and we did very well last year. Winning the Super Cup gave us energy for the entire season and we want that this year”.

On the opponent, Flick warned of the difficulty of the game against an Athletic side with many different ways of attacking. “They have many different attacking options and it won't be easy. If we make the mistakes like in the derby, we will pay heavily. We will have to defend a lot better”, he remarked, insisting on the need to step up defensively.

The German coach also harked back to the match in LaLiga and underlined that the team knows what needs doing to compete at the highest level. “We already beat them in LaLiga, but they have very fast players. We know our strengths and we know what is needed to win”, he explained.

Lastly, Flick emphasised the mindset of the group and the clear objective as they come into the tournament. “I said to the team that there are two games to win a trophy. That is already enough motivation. You want to win titles in Barça – it's what the Club and the fans want. We are here to be successful”, he concluded.