UCL 24/25: FC Barcelona manager Hansi Flick is enjoying a stellar first season in Spain, as the German has not only recorded a Spanish Super Cup triumph last week, but followed that up with an iconic 5-4 win against SL Benfica in Round 7 of the UEFA Champions League 2024/25.
With the win, FC Barcelona have officially sealed a Top 8 Finish, and can now afford to rest their key players for the last group stage game before the knockouts.
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This was FC Barcelona's 6th straight UCL win, as the 5-time champions responded well from opening day defeat to AS Monaco, where they were reduced down to 10-men following a red card for Marc Andre Ter Stegen inside the first 10 minutes away in France.
Speaking during the post-match interview, the former UCL winning coach with Bayern Munich expressed his delight with the win, and added that 'second-half changes influenced the result'.
"At the end, you have to see that SL Benfica have played really well. So, this is what I said to the team, and in the press conference that they are one of the best teams in transition, and their counter attack was beautiful. This is a team I.. I simply love to see them," said Hansi Flick.
"They play really good football, we made a lot of mistakes in the first half, and in the second half, we came back, we made some changes and I think it helped us to come back," he added.
What Next For FC Barcelona?
FC Barcelona endured a successful Spanish Super Cup, and followed that up with a huge win over Real Betis in Copa Del Ray, but the high amount of workload in a busy week resulted in fatigue for players, who succumbed to a dismal 1-1 draw away at Getafe in La Liga.
Even though FC Barcelona are still jam-packed with a tight schedule, there can be some relieve for them, as the side will now play three consecutive home games, and cam afford to rest key players to avoid further injury issues.