Barcelona boss Hansi Flick focused on Sevilla test rather than Madrid derby

Barcelona manager Hansi Flick says his side must concentrate solely on Saturday’s match at Sevilla, rather than the prospect of a seventh consecutive victory or Sunday’s Madrid derby.

Barcelona travel to the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan for the seventh round of La Liga fixtures, aiming to maintain their perfect start to the season. Attention will then turn to Atletico Madrid’s meeting with Real Madrid on Sunday.

Asked whether the derby could affect his team’s preparations, Flick said at Friday’s news conference: “For me, the most important thing is that we focus on ourselves. We want to win, and that is the job we have to do in Sevilla.”

Flick was also questioned about Barcelona’s 4-1 defeat by Sevilla at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan last season, but insisted the current side was in a different position.

“First of all, I have to say that I think we are now at a different level from where we were last year,” he said, as reported by AS.

The German coach nevertheless warned that the result would not be decided before kick-off, particularly with Sevilla playing at home.

“But every match starts 0-0 and Sevilla, especially at home, are playing very well,” Flick added.

He expects Sevilla to use a defensive approach based on man-to-man marking and direct pressure, meaning Barcelona will need to move the ball quickly and keep making forward movements.

“Sevilla defend man-to-man and will try to press us in these situations,” said Flick. “So it will be important for us to play with confidence and take the ball out to the wings.”

He continued: “It will be important to control the match and know how to do that against a team that relies heavily on man-to-man marking. We have to move the ball quickly, especially in our own half, and try to transfer it from one side to the other.”

The speed of Barcelona’s passing is expected to be central to their efforts to escape Sevilla’s pressure and create space, with the hosts likely to maintain direct coverage of the Catalan side’s players.

Flick’s comments came as Barcelona prepared for their first meeting with Sevilla since last season’s heavy defeat, although he stressed that the team’s current level should not be judged by that result.