Hansi Flick's Barcelona have made a flying start to the season, but he was reluctant to draw comparisons with his all-conquering Bayern Munich team.

Barca moved three points clear at the top of LaLiga after Robert Lewandowski's first-half hat-trick helped them to a 3-0 victory over Deportivo Alaves on Sunday. 

In the league, Barcelona have already scored 28 goals in nine games, more than any other team in the division, and the most of any team across the top five European leagues.

Flick took interim charge at Bayern midway through the 2019-20 season, guiding them to a treble by winning the Bundesliga, DFB-Pokal and the Champions League. 

However, the manager believes it is too early to compare the two sides. 

"No, no, I don't like that. This team is different," Flick told reporters.

"The situation is different. At the moment, things look good. I'm happy to be the coach of this team, but I know that things can change really quickly in football.

"We value what we have, it's fantastic to see things work... What this team is doing is amazing. The atmosphere in the dressing room is great.

"It's not just about winning and losing. We analyse matches, that's why we have a very large group of analysts. We want to show the players what we can improve on for the next match."

Lewandowski's hat-trick was the fourth-earliest ever scored by a Barcelona player in LaLiga (32 minutes), and took his tally up to 10 goals in the competition.

Flick was full of praise for his striker, who was part of that treble-winning team at Bayern. 

"Lewandowski is the same player I knew in Munich, and he's the best in the box. What he does is fantastic, he's always ready to score," Flick added.

"I think we should praise everyone in the team, they're all helping him. He's in good form, and I'm happy to see that. I'm happy for the three points and happy with Lewy's performance.

"In the first half, we didn't make any mistakes, we didn't allow Alaves to play their game. That was the key to winning."

The only blemish at the Mendizorrotza Stadium was the injury suffered by forward Ferran Torres, who limped off five minutes into the game.

"We still don't know what injury Ferran has, but it looks muscular. We'll see with the medical tests tomorrow," Flick said.

"Ferran's injury is worrying. We don't have many options in attack, but we'll see what happens.

"We hope to recover the injured players in the international break. We will see in the next two weeks, and we hope they return in good shape."

Barcelona coach Hansi Flick took the blame following Saturday's shock 4-2 defeat at the hands of Osasuna.

Flick made a call to rest some of his key players and duly paid the price as Osasuna claimed their first LaLiga win over Barca since 2020.

The former Germany and Bayern Munich boss had been aiming to become only the second Barca coach, after Gerardo Martino, to win his first eight LaLiga matches in charge.

Yet Barca were firmly second best at Estadio El Sadar, with Bryan Zaragoza's double propelling Osasuna to a deserved victory, with the visitors only able to muster 0.68 expected goals (xG).

"You have to accept these defeats. We didn't play very well. I think it's my responsibility," Flick told Movistar Plus.

"[With the changes] I tried to protect the players, because they have been playing a lot of minutes. But I didn't expect us to play like this.

"We made a lot of mistakes and Osasuna did well. Although in the second goal I think there was a foul at the start of the action, I'm not entirely sure because I haven't been able to see it yet, but that's what I've heard.

"To score four goals against us is too much, but I've told the team that we have to keep going. It's a busy schedule and we are on the right track."

Flick was referring to a challenge by Osasuna midfielder Lucas Torro, who stood on Pau Victor's foot, in the build-up to Zaragoza scoring their second goal in the 28th minute.

The goal was given as neither the referee nor the VAR saw an infringement.

"For me it is a clear foul," a visibly frustrated Pedri told Movistar Plus.

Pedri also shrugged off the suggestion Flick's changes were the cause of Barca's issues.

He added: "It's normal to make rotations, there are a lot of matches. It's no excuse. We had to go out with 11 players and the score at half-time penalised us.

"The first half we were not good. We didn't come out to the game well. In the second half we deserved a bit more, but goals came when we were at our best.

"We had to go for the game. We had to go for everything and on the counter-attack they hurt us." 

Barcelona boss Hansi Flick will rely on his experienced players as the Blaugrana navigate an injury crisis early on in his first campaign at the helm.

A perfect seven wins from as many matches in LaLiga this season means Barca could match the best start in their league history on Saturday, when they visit Osasuna.

Only once have Barca won their first eight matches to start a league campaign, doing so in 2013-14 under Gerardo Martino but ultimately finishing second to Atletico Madrid that season.

Flick's impressive start at Camp Nou has come despite injuries biting at his squad, with goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen the latest casualty as he underwent knee surgery this week.

He has joined Dani Olmo, Gavi, Frenkie de Jong, Ronald Araujo, Fermin Lopez and Andreas Christensen in the treatment room, while Inigo Martinez is doubtful after suffering an injury against Getafe on Wednesday.

De Jong and Gavi are closing in on returns, but Flick is confident in his team's ability to cope in their absence.  

"This is about quality of the players. They are very well prepared and train with so much passion and mentality," Flick said. "Evidently, as we did before, there will be some rotations.

"But also it's important the experienced players are with us, like Raphinha and [Robert] Lewandowski. Inigo received a blow, so we will see how that is.

"From what I see in training, [De Jong] is in good shape, also Gavi picking up the pace. 

"Frenkie is very close to returning. Tomorrow he will have a rest because he needs it, he trained a lot."

The return of De Jong, who last played in April, could be a major boost for Barcelona as they brace for a tough October, when they host Bayern Munich in the Champions League three days before visiting Real Madrid in LaLiga.

"De Jong is an experienced player and he can help us greatly, even if he plays 20 minutes, but we will see what happens next week," Flick said.

Flick was also asked what it would mean to equal Barca's best start to a season, but the German is focused purely on the task of overcoming Osasuna.

"It's always great to win though we aren't focusing on the record," he said.

"From 11 points, Osasuna have won 10 points at home, where the crowd really gets behind them and I like that atmosphere.

Meanwhile, Barca have been banned from selling tickets for their next Champions League away game, at Red Star Belgrade on November 6, after their supporters were found guilty of racist behaviour during their match against Monaco. 

Despite Barcelona maintaining their perfect start to the LaLiga season with a 1-0 win over Getafe on Wednesday, head coach Hansi Flick insisted they can improve.

Robert Lewandowski's 19th-minute strike was enough to secure the win for the Blaugrana, but the hosts should have won by a more comfortable scoreline. 

At the end of the contest, Barca accumulated an expected goals (xG) total of 1.92 from their 15 shots, but only four of those were on target. 

But Flick, who became the third Barca coach to win his first seven LaLiga games after Gerardo Martino in 2013 and Ernesto Valverde in 2017, insisted his side were still very much a work in progress. 

"To get seven wins is perfect, but we have to do some things better," Flick said. 

"Today we had a very good mentality. For me it's a good starting point to improve. 

"I've been told that it's always like that against Getafe, they are very good in defence, but I'm very proud of my players and how they fought for 95 minutes."

The result saw Barca extend their lead to rivals Real Madrid at the summit of the standings to four points ahead of facing Osasuna this weekend. 

It was also a straightforward game for the hosts' stand-in goalkeeper Inaki Pena, who kept a clean sheet and was forced to make just one save during the contest. 

Pena replaced Marc-Andre ter Stegen between the sticks after the German international came off injured during Barca's 5-1 win over Villarreal last week. 

The extent of Ter Stegen's injury was confirmed shortly after, with the 32-year-old undergoing knee surgery on Monday and he is now expected to miss the rest of the season. 

Reports suggest that Barca are considering welcoming Wojciech Szczesny as an emergency back-up, despite the Pole calling time on his career earlier this year. 

However, Flick refused to discuss those rumours linking Szczesny to a shock move to the Camp Nou. 

"I only speak of the players we have in the team. Inaki Pena is our number one goalkeeper and I'm happy. This is what it's worth," Flick said.

"We have Inaki Pena who is 25-years-old but the rest of the goalkeepers are very young, so if something happens we have to have experience."

Barcelona will be without injured goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen for several months, but Hansi Flick is confident they have a capable deputy in Inaki Pena.

Germany international Ter Stegen underwent a successful operation on Monday after suffering a complete rupture of the patella tendon in his right knee.

The 32-year-old suffered the injury in Barca's 5-1 win at Villarreal in LaLiga on Sunday and is expected to be out for at least eight months, according to Spanish media reports.

Despite Ter Stegen's season likely being over, Flick is remaining upbeat, backing academy product Pena to handle the step up.

"Inaki is doing very well, in pre-season too. He has worked very hard to be here. He is focused and ready to play," Flick said ahead of Wednesday's home game versus Getafe.

"We are confident but we also have to look at what we do because the players at the back are very young. For the moment, we don't feel under pressure and we trust in Inaki."

Having joined Barcelona's La Masia academy aged 13, 25-year-old Pena has made 23 first-team appearances, conceding 39 goals and keeping five clean sheets.

Pena made 10 league appearances for Barca last term, with his save percentage of 56.4% falling some way short of Ter Stegen's 73.5%.

Pena also conceded 17 goals from 13.89 expected goals on target (xGoT) faced, giving him an underperformance of 3.1 in terms of goals prevented. Ter Stegen, by contrast, conceded 27 times from 27.84 xGoT faced.

The Catalans were already without new signing Dani Olmo and fellow midfielders Gavi, Frenkie de Jong, Marc Bernal and Fermin Lopez, plus defenders Ronald Araujo and Andreas Christensen, due to injuries.

However, they have made a perfect start to the season under Flick, with six straight wins putting them top of LaLiga, four points ahead of reigning champions Real Madrid in second.

But the former Bayern Munich boss is striving for more, adding: "We analysed the game against Villarreal and we saw a lot of things that can be improved. 

"We haven't reached the end of the road. You can always do more. We are moving forward step by step."

Barcelona coach Hansi Flick did not want to speculate about the time Marc-Andre ter Stegen could spend on the sidelines after the injury the goalkeeper suffered against Villarreal.

Barcelona maintained their perfect start in LaLiga by winning 5-1 on Sunday.

However, the win was marred by possibly a season-ending injury of their goalkeeper, who had to be taken off in the first half.

"It looks like a serious injury, he felt it, you could see it on the pitch," Flick told reporters.

Ter Stegen fell badly after jumping for a ball just before half-time and was visibly in pain as he was carried off the pitch on a stretcher.

All of Germany international's weight fell on his right leg.

Ter Stegen injured the same knee, on which he already underwent two surgeries over recent seasons, and another operation could prove to be the end his campaign, according to some reports in the Spanish media.

Asked whether he had already thought of a replacement, Flick said: "I don't like this question right after the game. First we have to see what happens with Marc, he's our captain.

"I'm very sad about what happened. Please understand that I don't want to answer this question. I haven't been able to speak to Ter Stegen."

Robert Lewandowski, who scored twice in the rout, dedicated the win to Ter Stegen.

"We don't know exactly what happened, he's in hospital, but of course we are very sad, and this victory is for him," Lewandowski said.

Hansi Flick insists Barcelona will use "no excuses" when his injury-hit side head to Villarreal for Sunday's LaLiga clash.

Midfielder Fermin Lopez suffered a muscular problem in his right thigh while training on Tuesday, becoming the latest addition to Barca's growing list of injured absentees.

New signing Dani Olmo is sidelined for at least a month with a hamstring injury, alongside fellow midfielders Gavi, Frenkie de Jong and Marc Bernal, and defensive pair Ronald Araujo and Andreas Christensen.

Though struggling with limited selection options due to the fitness issues plaguing the visitors' squad, Flick is adamant the LaLiga leaders can adapt to find a workaround.

"When we started the season, I said there would be no excuses," Flick said. "We're going to be able to manage the game, although we'll be careful with some players carrying a lot of load.

"Tomorrow we'll manage this, although I'm sure that those who come on will be at 100%. The medical team is helping us and we are taking special care with [Pau] Cubarsi, who has been recovering."

Barcelona have made a perfect start to the LaLiga season under the German, with five straight wins putting them top of the standings, four points ahead of defending champions Real Madrid.

The only blemish on the Blaugrana's record came in Thursday's 2-1 defeat against Monaco, with Eric Garcia dismissed just 10 minutes into the Champions League opener.

"We have a great team, and we have shown it," Flick added. "Every season it's the same, there are weeks when you lose several players, but as a coach, it's something you have to accept.

"Now we have to focus on those who are available to prepare them for the next game."

Flick will at least be able to call upon returning forward Ansu Fati, who has scored four goals in six games against Villarreal in LaLiga, his most against one opponent in the competition.

Fati, along with Raphinha, Lamine Yamal and Robert Lewandowski, will hope to cover the midfield void with their attacking prowess that has propelled Barcelona to success this term.

Indeed, Barcelona are the top-scoring team in Europe's top five leagues this season with 17 goals, a tally that they will aim to add to on Sunday.

Barcelona head coach Hansi Flick remained upbeat despite his side kickstarting their Champions League campaign with a defeat to Monaco on Thursday. 

The visitors were dealt a blow with just 10 minutes on the clock after defender Eric Garcia saw red after a tangle with Takumi Minamino on the edge of the box. 

Monaco made the most of their man advantage six minutes later when Maghnes Akliouche struck beyond Marc-Andre ter Stegen. 

Lamine Yamal levelled the scores before half-time, becoming the second-youngest player to score in the Champions League with a low finish into the bottom corner.

However, substitute George Ilenikhena would hand the French side the victory in the 71st minute, compounding Flick to his first defeat as Barca head coach. 

It was also Barcelona's third ever defeat in their opening game of the competition after 1997-98 (2-3 v Newcastle) and 2021-22 (0-3 v Bayern Munich). 

Despite the loss, Flick had already switched his focus to this weekend's LaLiga fixture against Villarreal this Sunday, and is looking for a response from his players.

"With (Garcia's) red card the game changed totally, but I can see the positives," Flick said. 

"We tried to defend as a team and attack as a team. We had chances but they deserved to win.

"I have told the team to lift their heads up because they are disappointed, but we have to focus on Sunday, which is our next game.

"It's the time to recover. Hopefully, players will be back with a lot of energy.

"We have players that gave more than 100 percent, every player tried to give their best in this situation.

"I'm really proud of this team but we have to accept how we lost today."

Garcia's dismissal proved to be decisive in deciding the contest, with the Spaniard's sending off the earliest in the Champions League since Oleksandr Kucher for Shakhtar Donetsk against Bayern in 2015 (third minute). 

Barcelona's last red card in the competition came in their quarter-final defeat to Paris Saint-Germain last season, with Ronald Araujo shown his marching orders in a 4-1 defeat to the Parisiens. 

The Spaniards have failed to reach the semi-finals of the competition since their dramatic aggregate defeat to Liverpool in 2018-19, but Flick remained confident about their chances this time around. 

"Today you see this situation with a red card after 11 minutes, it changed our match plan, we have to accept it, this happens," Flick concluded. 

"But we are strong enough to play a good Champions League, we have seven matches ahead, and I think we will win many matches."

Hansi Flick heaped praise on Barcelona's teenage sensation Lamine Yamal after he scored a double to help the LaLiga leaders earn a 4-1 victory at Girona on Sunday.

Yamal, who grabbed the spotlight as he helped Spain win their fourth European Championship title in July, scored twice in seven first-half minutes to put them in control.

Dani Olmo and Pedri then secured the win before Cristhian Stuani's consolation and Ferran Torres' late sending-off for a reckless challenge.

Barcelona maintained their unbeaten start to the season, getting their fifth consecutive win at the start of Flick's tenure.

"I'm very happy about Lamine's two goals, he's very young, but he's really incredible, a difference maker at such a young age," Flick told Movistar Plus.

"Having him is key for us not only because of his quality, but he also presses very well high. He combines talent and pressure and that's massive for us. He is outstanding.

"It was a tough game. Girona played well, but we started very well too, and we deserved to win."

Flick's Barcelona top the LaLiga standings with 15 points, four ahead of Real Madrid and Villarreal. Last year's surprise package, Girona, are seventh with seven points.

Barca avenged their two losses to Girona last season, both by a 4-2 result.

It was a dominant performance by the Catalan giants, whose relentless high press was too much for their opponents to handle as they had 20 shots (nine on target), outperforming their 1.82 expected goals.

Now, Barcelona will hope to carry their domestic momentum into the Champions League, where they will face Monaco away on Thursday.

"We have trained very hard for this, and we need to keep going. This last week we have prepared well, but we do it for every game we play because we always want to win, we are in a good moment, and we can't stop," Flick added.

"It won't be easy against Monaco, but we're taking it one game at a time, and we're really excited. We're all looking forward to it."

Hansi Flick is confident Barcelona have what it takes to beat local rivals Girona and avenge last season's two defeats in the Catalan derby.

Flick, whose Barcelona reign has started with four consecutive victories, enjoyed watching Girona last season as they took LaLiga by storm, going toe-to-toe with Real Madrid in the title race and reaching the Champions League for the first time.

But despite heaping praise on rival manager Michel's work after he led them to a third-place finish, Flick said there will be no sympathy when they step on the pitch.

"We've won four games in a row, and we have to keep going," Flick told a press conference on Saturday.

"I know it will be complicated because Girona play really well. It's a match at the highest level, Champions League level, and we're playing away. But we are confident because we have quality.

"Last season I watched Girona a lot, and I was really impressed by what the coach did and how the players responded.

"But we know how we have to play, and I'm sure the players will deliver. We must not look back. What happened, happened. The key on Sunday is that all our players give their best out there."

Barcelona are top of the standings with 12 points, five above fifth-placed Girona, who are coming off solid wins against Osasuna and Sevilla.

Flick said his team needed to make Girona uncomfortable and dominate possession against an exciting attacking side, who won 4-2 in both LaLiga games against Barca last term.

"We know that Girona's strength is having the ball. We have to press well, defend as a block, stay well positioned and not give them any space," Flick added.

"It will be a tactical battle, but we want the ball and, if we have it, we have a good chance of winning. It will be a good test for us, it will be like a Champions League match."

Despite winning all three games in LaLiga so far, Hansi Flick believes Barcelona still have room to improve ahead of their clash with Rayo Valladolid.

With rivals Real Madrid struggling to fit new signing Kylian Mbappe into their stellar squad, and winning only one game so far, Barca have opened up a lead at the top of the league standings on nine points, two ahead of second-placed Villarreal and three from Celta Vigo in third.

"It's going to be a long season, and I'm not focused on the opponents. I'm focused on Barca, we've done well in the first three games and hopefully tomorrow we'll be victorious," Flick told a press conference on Friday.

"The players are fit and rested, they are training really well, and I'm pleased. We believe in our strength and in our idea of the game.

"Of course, there are many things we need to improve, like being focused from the start of the matches and not wait 10 minutes to get going. To be confident from minute one, that's what I expect from the players.

"It sounds like something basic, but it's part of the hard core of our idea of the game. The quality of this team is sky-high, fantastic."

Barcelona had to fight back to win after conceding first-half goals at Valencia and Rayo Vallecano, and needed a late Robert Lewandowski winner to break the deadlock at home against Athletic Bilbao.

Flick said he was delighted with the strength of character in the team.

"We have a special atmosphere and a very good mentality. They are very professional players with a great attitude. They are acting as one. The attitude, the mentality, the teamwork... I love it. This is the only way to win, in unison," Flick said.

Barcelona have confirmed that 17-year-old midfielder Marc Bernal will miss most of the season after he ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament on Tuesday. 

Bernal, who made his Barca debut in their win over Valencia on the opening day, sustained the injury in the closing stages of their 2-1 victory against Rayo Vallecano. 

The midfielder had featured in all three of Hansi Flick's three league games in charge and had settled in well to his midfield having starred during pre-season. 

"It's a sad victory because Marc Bernal is injured," Flick told reporters after the victory at the Estadio de Vallecas. 

"We win, it's OK, but when you see the dressing room nobody is happy.

"It's not good. He made a fantastic match -- 17-years-old, such a performance. It hurts."

Bernal completed 148 of his 160 attempted passes, boasting a pass accuracy of 92.5% - the highest of anyone in the squad to play over 100 passes this season.

"He will undergo surgical treatment in the coming days," Barcelona confirmed in a statement on Wednesday. 

Barcelona will be hoping to maintain their winning start to the 2024-25 LaLiga season when they welcome Real Valladolid to the Nou Camp on Saturday. 

Barcelona have started the LaLiga season with two consecutive wins despite missing several key players, raising expectations around the prospects of new head coach, Hansi Flick.

Topping the table along with Celta Vigo on six points, Barcelona travel to Rayo Vallecano, who are unbeaten after shocking Real Sociedad 2-1 and holding Getafe to a hard-fought goalless draw on Saturday.

"The goal in Barcelona should always be to win the league," Flick told a press conference on Monday.

"Sure, it's a long road, but we have started well, although everything can change quickly.

"Now we are happy about our start and we are confident. We are not looking ahead to May, our focus is to keep momentum in the next game.

"We are very satisfied with what the team is doing on the pitch. The quality of the training sessions is good, the players are very focused, the intensity is good, and you can see that in the matches."

Vallecano will rely on their raucous Vallecas Stadium on Tuesday to help stop in-form Barcelona, who convincingly beat tough opponents in Valencia and Athletic Bilbao to ease the pressure surrounding a club in turmoil on and off the pitch.

Barcelona endured a trophyless campaign last season, resulting in the controversial firing of Xavi, with Flick being brought in to help them regain the LaLiga title from Real Madrid. 

The club is having deepening financial issues as they try to reduce their first-team wage bill to comply with LaLiga's financial controls. If they cannot, they will not be able to register new signings, like Spain international Dani Olmo, who joined in a €60million deal from RB Leipzig.

The Spaniard scored 29 goals and added 34 assists across 148 appearances in all competitions for Leipzig, for whom he created 32 chances in 21 Bundesliga outings in 2023-24.

And at Euro 2024, Olmo became the first Spanish player to score in three successive European Championship games, despite only starting three of La Roja's seven matches. 

Ilkay Gundogan, one of their most influential players last season, left as a free agent to join former club Manchester City last week, while Clement Lenglet and Vitor Roque have both left on season-long loans.

Flick may still be without Olmo for their game against Vallecano, with the registration process out of the German's hands. 

"I'm hopeful I can finally can count on him tomorrow," Flick added.

"I also hoped for him in the last game, but things are the way they are. It would be fantastic, but we'll see what happens. It's something we can't control; neither the player, the team, nor the coach. We know it's a difficult circumstance.

"I've spoken to him, it's a difficult situation. Of course, he is not happy, but he knows the circumstances. He is fit and ready to play if the call comes."

Hansi Flick labelled Robert Lewandowski the ultimate professional after his second-half winner earned Barcelona a 2-1 triumph over Athletic Bilbao. 

Lewandowski, who spent two seasons under Flick at Bayern Munich, notched his third goal of the new LaLiga season after Oihan Sancet cancelled out Lamine Yamal's deflected opener. 

The Pole netted 83 goals in 71 matches in all competitions between 2019 and 2021, winning eight major titles during Flick's time in charge, which included the Champions League.

And despite turning 36 three days ago, Flick is confident that his star striker can help Barca reclaim their league crown from rivals Real Madrid. 

"I know Robert (Lewandowski) really well and I don't think he has returned to form because that's how I have always seen him as a player," Flick told DAZN.

"I'm happy with him because it's not only the goals he scores, it's his collective effort, the way he dedicates himself to pressing high and very effectively. 

"Physically, he is 100%. He is a total professional, who takes fitness very seriously.

"He knows how to handle pressure and we saw that after the equaliser in the second half. He is a great player."

While Lewandowski received many plaudits for his goal-scoring exploits, Flick was also quick to praise Raphinha for his dynamic display in attacking midfield. 

The Brazilian registered the most touches in the opposition box (nine), with his 19 passes into the final third a total only bettered by Pedri (21). 

He also won more duels (nine) than any other Barcelona player, with Flick believing his versatility will be a huge asset as the season progresses. 

"Rafa can play in any attacking position. He can play as a 10, or he can change positions, he is phenomenal in pressing," Flick said.

"We needed someone like him as we are still missing some players."

Barcelona will look to maintain their unbeaten start to the league season when they travel to Rayo Vallecano on Tuesday before returning to the Nou Camp to take on Real Valladolid next weekend. 

Barcelona hope to have new signing Dani Olmo available against Athletic Bilbao on Saturday after facing issues with registering the midfielder, coach Hansi Flick said on Friday.

Barcelona host Bilbao in their second match of the season in LaLiga, having beaten Valencia 2-1 on matchday one.

Olmo, who arrived in a €60million deal from RB Leipzig after helping Spain win Euro 2024, did not feature in that match and is yet to be registered with LaLiga.

Barcelona have faced well-documented financial issues in recent years and sanctioned Ilkay Gundogan's return to Manchester City on Friday, hoping that move will allow them to comply with the league's strict salary cap rules.

Flick hopes to receive positive news regarding Olmo's availability ahead of Saturday's match, saying: "It is not my job, we have worked well this week.

"Olmo is ready to play and I hope he will be in the team, that will be very positive for us. In training he is amazing and it is important to have him as soon as possible."

At Euro 2024, Olmo became the first Spanish player to score in three successive European Championship games, despite only starting three of La Roja's seven matches. 

His five goal involvements (three goals, two assists) were also the most by a Spaniard at a major tournament since David Silva at Euro 2012 (two goals, three assists). 

Olmo scored 29 goals and added 34 assists across 148 appearances in all competitions for Leipzig, for whom he created 32 chances in 21 Bundesliga outings in 2023-24.

Flick's side will be missing Pedri, Gavi, Ronald Araujo and Frenkie de Jong due to injuries on Saturday but will welcome back Fermin Lopez, who rejoins the squad after winning the Euros and Olympic gold with Spain.

"From what I see, he [Lopez] will be ready to play. It was important for him to rest after two tournaments," Flick said.

Flick was also asked about the threat posed by Bilbao forward Nico Williams, who was linked with a move to Barca after starring alongside Lamine Yamal at the Euros.

"It's not my job to talk about a player from the opposing team," he said. 

"Bilbao are physically very strong and they have a great coach. It will be a tough game."