The head coach of Barcelona, German Hans Flick, spoke at the press conference held before the match against Belgian Club Brugge, as part of the fourth round of the group stage of the UEFA Champions League for the 2025/2026 season. Barcelona will visit Club Brugge on Wednesday evening at Jan Breydel Stadium, in a match where the Catalan team seeks to win and enhance its chances of qualifying.

During the press conference held after the Barcelona delegation arrived in the Belgian capital, Brussels, Flick discussed several important topics related to the match and the team, including the playing style, player readiness, and the injuries the team has been suffering from recently.

Regarding how to deal with the heights of Club Brugge players, Flick said: "We have faced these issues before, in every press conference it is said that the opposing team has tall players, but I believe we have handled this matter well, and we have addressed the problem of aerial balls. What I like is that the players are in a good mental state when facing such situations, so I do not see it as a big problem."

About facing Club Brugge, he added: "I think it will be a match similar to the one against Elche, as they will want to possess the ball, and they will press one player after another. It will definitely be a match at the highest level."

Regarding Lamine Yamal's condition, he clarified: "It is not my responsibility to determine his travel with the national team, but for us, it is important that the matter is managed well. Lamine Yamal is very disciplined and trains as he should, and he is also receiving treatment regularly. He has to deal with the injury carefully, and he is doing an excellent job so far. Every injury needs its appropriate time, so we cannot say that we need an extra week or less."

On the ease of facing Club Brugge, Flick continued: "As I mentioned earlier, we need to win the three points. There is no easy match at all, and we must have a strong mentality. Against Elche, Robert Lewandowski and Dani Olmo returned to us, and today we had a wonderful and high-quality training session, but I repeat, there are no easy matches."

Regarding comparing the team's level to last season, Flick said: "We cannot compare to last season, as we now have many injuries. Last season, we had Raphinha, Lewandowski, and Lamine at their best, and now they are gradually returning from injuries, and we need to monitor their condition before each match."

About the possibility of Casado and De Jong's absence, he explained: "I think so, as all the players who participated in the match last Sunday against Elche are in full readiness. Everyone can start, and there may be some changes; we will see what happens."

About Eric Garcia and the defense, the German coach said: "Last season, Inigo Martinez was a great leader in defense, and now I am very happy with what Koubarci and Eric Garcia are providing. They have all played well, and our other option is Gerard Martin."

Regarding the criticism directed at the team, Flick replied: "Some are waiting for Barcelona to lose to talk about the negatives, as it is very easy to criticize after a defeat, even if the team is performing well."

About his feelings in Barcelona, Flick concluded his statements by saying: "I really love this club and these players. I feel very happy in Barcelona and in this city, and I will always do my utmost for this team."