Hansi Flick is delighted to be reunited with Niko Kovac, who he previously worked with at Bayern Munich.
Barcelona manager Hansi Flick has revealed he is looking forward to meeting his former mentor Niko Kovac when he takes over as Borussia Dortmund manager ahead of the two sides’ Champions League quarter-final first leg on Wednesday, Diario Sport reported on Tuesday.
Barcelona had beaten Dortmund 3-2 in the League Phase but that is all set to change with the Black and Yellows having a new manager in Kovac, who was Flick’s former advisor at Bayern Munich, ahead of the two sides’ clash on Wednesday.
‘Everyone wants to be in this เว็บพนันออนไลน์ UFABET สมัครง่าย โปรโมชั่นมากมาย situation. We look forward and want to move forward. We have confidence,’ Flick said. ‘In the Champions League, it is better to play at home because we are better. We want to finish the game as soon as possible.’
‘We saw that in the game against Atletico, it was a good moment for us, we improved a lot in many aspects, situations and found the right answers. We’re very prepared for tomorrow’s game.
Flick also spoke about facing his former mentor Kovac, saying: ‘It’s something I think about a lot. It’s good that I know Nico and he can help us. Our job is to be ready.’
‘Nico is a great coach, a good person and I look forward to meeting him again.’
Dortmund will be without key players Nico Schlotterbeck and Marcel Sabitzer but Flick believes Kovac will field a strong side.
‘They are a very good team. Nico will put together a good team. They are strong at the back and I wish the injured players the best of luck. They have very good players and unfortunately they still have enough players to make up for their losses.’
Asked about what had changed about Dortmund since their last meeting, Flick said: ‘The confidence has changed a little bit. The results they’ve had in the Champions League and Bundesliga have given them confidence. They have a clearer target.’
‘They are a fast team, they think attackingly and we have to play our best in this game.’
‘I’ve said many times that we have to give it our all in this game. We worked hard to prepare and we don’t want it to end like this. We have to play well tomorrow.’
‘We’re unbeaten (in 2025) and that’s important, but we have to play as well as we can.’