German tactician and Barcelona manager Hansi Flick is confident of winning the 2024-25 UEFA Champions League with the Catalan giants.
Barcelona will open their 2024-25 UEFA Champions League campaign with an away fixture against Monaco at the St Louis III on Thursday, September 19, 2024.
It will be a rematch of the 2024 Joan Gamper Trophy clash in which the Catalans lost by an astonishing three-goal margin.
However, away from the shock defeat to the French side, a lot has changed with the Hansi Flick-led team. They are at the top of the La Liga table with a maximum of 15 points after five League matches.
Notably, the roaring start to the campaign has seen the team score eleven goals in their last two La Liga matches. They edged out Real Valladolid 7-0 before smashing Girona 4-1 in their last match.
And according to Hansi Flick, the team has the confidence to take on any opponent in the UEFA Champions League with the sensational start to the season.
Speaking ahead of the clash against Monaco, the 59-year-old said the team is in the best shape and form and can go all the way to clinch the elite club silverware in Europe
“I don’t care about the past, it’s already in the past. The team is doing very well in the league now and the important thing is that we have confidence and go into the games and the competition focused. We can be proud of what we’ve done so far,” he told the Barcelona website.
Can Barcelona win the 2024-25 UEFA Champions League?
Barcelona have recently fallen off the pecking order of top European clubs who can challenge for the Champions League trophy.
Coming at the back of a difficult campaign last season, the team is least on the pecking of clubs likely to vy for the trophy. However, a newfound confidence under the watch of Hansi Flick has changed the narrative. Notably, the team edged out defending champions and arch-domestic rivals Real Madrid during the preseason friendly but were pegged back to default settings with the Joan Gamper Trophy loss to Monaco.
Nevertheless, going by the brilliant domestic start to the campaign, they are one of the teams to watch out for in the competition.
The Hansi-Flick factor in Barcelona’s Champions League chances
It will be a sensationally brilliant campaign for Hansi Flick to win the UEFA Champions League in his debut season as Barcelona manager. It is the most unlikely feat for a manager. However, this is not enough to rule out Barcelona’s chances of competing due to Hansi Flick’s factor.
The German tactician is a European football veteran, having managed elite teams in Europe. He won the 2019-20 UEFA Champions League with Bayern Munich. After Pep Guardiola of Manchester City, Carlo Ancelotti of Real Madrid, and Luis Enrique of PSG, Hansi Flick is among the top-rated managers competing in the 2024-25 UEFA Champions League.
Barcelona injury boosts and problems
Hansi Flick is facing an injury nightmare at Barcelona heading into the 2024-25 Champions League opener against Monaco.
Euro-winning Spain midfielder Dani Olmo will miss the clash due to injury. Olmo picked up a hamstring injury and is expected to miss four weeks of action. Also, Fermin Lopez is ruled out due to injury. Nevertheless, luckily for the Catalan giants, they have received further reinforcement with the return of Ansu Fati from injury.
Hansi Flick confirmed Fati would be fit to play at least for 45 minutes against Monaco after recovering from injury. Gavi, who was out of action due to a hamstring injury since last season, is back but may not start.
Barcelona have five Champions League titles in their locker room. They last won the elite club trophy in 2015 and have since struggled to assert their dominance in the competition. The 2024-25 campaign presents another chance for the club to make a statement as one of the top sides to reckon with in the competition.
