FC Barcelona needs a minor miracle on Tuesday evening in the Copa del Rey semi-final second leg to make up for the 4-0 defeat at Atletico Madrid. Hansi Flick cited Borussia Dortmund, of all teams, as a positive example.
Four goals in one game? FC Barcelona already “practiced” for this on Saturday, winning their league game against Villarreal 4-1. However, this result would not help Barcelona after their 4-0 defeat in the first leg at Atlético.
Inevitably, many are reminded of the starting situation in the 2016/17 Champions League round of 16 second leg, when Barcelona made up for a 4-0 defeat at Paris St. Germain with a 6-1 victory. In Spain, such comebacks are known as “La Remontada,” the resurrection. Flick did not want to talk about it, but said he had “never been in such a situation before. But I’m not afraid of it.”
The German coach had a completely different game in mind. In last year’s Champions League quarter-finals, Barcelona won 4-0 at home against BVB but still found themselves in trouble in the second leg. “We have a good example of this, namely the game against Dortmund,” said the 60-year-old. “They told themselves they wanted to score two goals in each half.”
The Westphalians didn’t quite manage that at the time, but in the 49th minute Serhou Guirassy scored twice to make it 2-0. Only an own goal by Ramy Bensabaini destroyed Borussia’s hopes, who ultimately won “only” 3-1 and have recently made headlines for squandering a favorable starting position – see Bergamo.
For Barcelona, however, the situation is even more complicated. Step by step, Flick wants to make the dream of reaching the final come true on Tuesday. “It’s always better to think about the first goal than the second. We’ll be hungry to score it,” he promised. “Against Villarreal, we saw a team in which everyone fights and has good momentum. That’s the key for tomorrow.” Everyone knows “that we are four goals behind and want to make the impossible possible. We will not give up. You have to believe in it.”
Lewandowski is not the only one missing for Barcelona
It’s bitter for Barcelona that Robert Lewandowski, an important attacker, will be missing. The Pole suffered an eye socket fracture and is out for the time being. “When he turned around, he bumped into his opponent’s shoulder, then he scored the goal,” Flick explained, before listing the injured and suspended players once again. “Losing a player like him, Frenkie de Jong, Gavi, Eric Garcia, or Andreas Christensen is always difficult. The good thing is that other players get the chance to prove themselves.”
