“You can lose La Liga in this kind of game!” Hansi Flick warns Barcelona ahead of bottom-placed Valladolid | OneFootball

Hansi Flick knows the danger of easy assumptions in a title race.

On paper, Saturday’s trip to bottom-placed Real Valladolid should offer little resistance. But Barcelona’s head coach is far too seasoned to take anything for granted — and he made that clear ahead of the game.

“You can lose La Liga in this kind of game,” he warned, referencing early-season struggles against Las Palmas and Leganes as proof.

Valladolid are already condemned to relegation. They have shipped 81 goals and won just four league matches. Still, Flick believes fixtures like this often become psychological traps for teams with everything to lose.

“Teams like Valladolid want to show themselves against clubs like ours,” he said. “It doesn’t matter that they are going down — they’ll play with freedom and pride.”

Barcelona, meanwhile, are chasing more than just three points. They are chasing history.

Having already lifted the Copa del Rey and drawn 3-3 in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final with Inter Milan, the treble remains within reach. But La Liga, Flick insists, is the foundation.

“La Liga is most important now,” he said. “It’s the best recognition for consistency over a season.”

His commitment to the title push is clear, but so is his pragmatism. With Real Madrid looming next week and a European decider in Milan just days away, Flick confirmed changes are coming.

“Injuries can happen any moment — just look at what happened to Kounde,” he said. “We’ll rotate, but everyone who’s fit will travel. We need full focus.”

There are still questions about Barcelona’s defensive balance, especially when the stakes are high. Flick admits that their attacking style invites risk, but he refuses to apologise for it.

“People say we take too many risks,” he acknowledged. “But I like the way we play. It’s about how we function as a team, not just numbers at the back.”

Even so, he singled out set-piece defending as a weak point that must improve.

“You have to block, you have to take responsibility. That’s what we lacked against Inter,” he said.

Saturday’s match will not define Barcelona’s season, but it could shape the weeks to come. One mistake could reopen the title race.

Flick does not intend to give Real Madrid that chance.