Hansi Flick talks Szczesny debut and Christensen return ahead of Barcelona vs UD Barbastro | OneFootball

FC Barcelona are constantly working to succeed both on and off the field no matter the circumstances. Despite some registration issues having popped up that are proving to be difficult to resolve, the team itself remains committed. With their recent break now behind them, Barcelona must get back down to business.

First up for the Catalan giants is their Copa del Rey fixture against UD Barbastro, a rather familiar opponent. This game will undoubtedly be important for Hansi Flick and his men, considering that even a single loss here could mean that Barcelona go crashing out of the competition altogether.

However, ahead of the game, there has been a lot of speculation over which players will end up featuring in this game. Even the case of the two pending registrations is something that everyone is wondering about, but Hansi Flick has done his best to address the main topics at hand.

As highlighted by Mundo Deportivo, in his most recent press conference, Flick made sure to speak about the likes of Wojciech Szczesny and Andreas Christensen, while also speaking briefly about the last time that Barça faced this opponent in the same competition.

When asked if this would be the game that the Polish goalkeeper finally gets to make his debut in, something that was previously being reported, Flick still did not give a definitive answer:

“What I can tell you is that Tek has been training very well. The decision hasn’t been made yet. We’ll have to wait until tomorrow to see.”

As for Christensen and when he could end up making his return despite now training with the team, Flick remains adamant that it is still too soon for him. Instead, the Barcelona coach shared what he had in mind for the Dane’s eventual return:

“Andreas is doing very well and has improved in training, but it’s still too early for him to play in Barbastro. He will come with us to Saudi Arabia, but the plan is for him to play later.”

Lastly, when speaking about the last time Barcelona played Barbastro, the German coach confessed that it did seem like a difficult encounter for the Catalan giants:

“I watched last year’s game, and it was tough.”

Ultimately, this will be Flick’s first ever taste of the Copa del Rey and it remains to be seen how he deals with this new kind of pressure and atmosphere. While the crowd may not be as massive as he is probably accustomed to so far in Spain, it will definitely be intense.