Hansi Flick accepts 1-0 win as Barcelona prepare for Galatasaray test

Barcelona manager Hansi Flick says he would be satisfied with a 1-0 victory when the Spanish champions face Galatasaray in a hostile atmosphere in Istanbul on Tuesday.

Barcelona have won all nine of their matches in all competitions this season and scored 39 goals, but Flick expects a significantly different challenge from the Turkish champions at Rams Park.

The Catalan side began their Champions League campaign with a 5-1 win over Feyenoord. They will be without Raphinha for the trip to Turkey, while difficult fixtures against Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid are also on the horizon.

Flick believes Barcelona must be prepared for the intensity generated by Galatasaray’s supporters.

“First of all, we have to be ready for this atmosphere,” he said.

“I think this is one of the best atmospheres ever in the world. It’s amazing when I hear some situations or the sounds of the stadium, what the fans are doing; it’s unbelievable.”

The German also highlighted Galatasaray’s progress and their performances against leading opposition.

“They support their team. You also can see the results against big teams, they are playing like a big team against them, they’ve improved a lot,” he said.

Barcelona have scored at least three goals in each of their past matches, with their last game in which they scored fewer than three coming in a 2-0 La Liga victory over Athletic Bilbao on 27 August.

Despite that attacking form, Flick said winning was more important than maintaining the team’s scoring run.

“The only thing we want is to win, this is our goal, this is what we want,” he said.

“I’m also happy if we win just 1-0, because to see this team, how they play, how they play out (from the back), they like to play football.”

Flick expects Galatasaray to pose a threat in attack and says Barcelona will need to defend effectively rather than concentrate solely on their own attacking play.

“In attack they have fantastic players, so it’s not easy to play against Galatasaray, especially at home,” he said.

Barcelona’s meeting with Galatasaray will be their latest test during an unbeaten start that has produced nine wins from nine games. Flick’s side will have to contend with the home crowd as well as a Galatasaray team he believes has developed the quality to compete with the strongest clubs.