3 min readUpdated: Mar 18, 2026 12:19 PM IST
Barcelona’s teenage talisman Lamine Yamal is fit and firing for their upcoming Champions League round of 16 second leg at home against Newcastle United, head coach Hansi Flick has said. Yamal had been rested over the weekend in the Catalan giants’ 5-2 win over Sevilla. It had led to speculation over whether the 18-year-old was nursing an injury but Flick allayed those fears.
“He’s fine. He’s the player who can make a difference. He trained fantastically yesterday. The team did too. Today as well. The Champions League is one of the best competitions; everyone wants to play there, and it’s an extra motivation for the players,” said the German in his press conference ahead of the Newcastle clash.
Flick further said that he is confident of leading Barcelona to the Champions League title. While Barcelona remain among the top clubs in Europe, the covetted trophy has eluded them since 2015. “I believe we’re capable of winning this Champions League. We need to improve, but the important thing is that everyone is available and at their best looking ahead to next month.”
Flick also suggested that he will quit coaching after his time with Barcelona is done. Flick’s current contract runs out in 2027 and newly re-elected club president Joan Laporta said he plans to extend it till 2028. The German said that he has no thoughts of leaving Barcelona and wants to end his career with the Catalan giants.
“I don’t think it’s the right time. We have a very important match. Everyone knows I’m very happy here, but I need to talk to my family. There will be time to talk, it’s not the time now,” the 61-year-old Flick said on talks of extending his contract ahead of Barcelona’s round of 16 second leg clash with Newcastle United at Camp Nou.
“It’s clear that I love working here. The most important thing, what I feel, is that I have a great family here. I have the support of Barcelona, but this is football. I’m here to help reach the highest level, but there’s still time. I’m not thinking about going anywhere else. This will be my last club, my last job, and I’m delighted.”
Flick has been Barcelona’s head coach since 2024, replacing club legend Xavi in the role. He won the La Liga and Copa del Rey titles last year, in addition to leading Barcelona to victory in the Spanish Super Cup in 2025 and 2026. Before that, Flick had been coach of Bayern Munich between 2019 and 2021, leading the Bavarian giants to the Bundesliga titles in the two seasons that he was in charge and to victory in the 2019/20 season of the Champions League.
Story continues below this ad
After leaving Bayern, Flick took charge of Germany, leading them to the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Germany failed to make it past the group stage, failing to recover from a 1-2 defeat to Japan. Eventually, he became the first German manager to be sacked from the position after losing a friendly to Japan 1-4 in September 2023.
© IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd
