Flick will not take the 5-1 Copa del Rey win over Betis as a reference

Barcelona coach Hansi Flick has warned, on the eve of the visit of Betis in LaLiga, that the 5-1 drubbing his side inflicted on the Andalusian outfit in the last 16 of the Copa del Rey was misleading, and that this Saturday they face an opponent with a six-game winning streak in the competition.

"The result we got in the Copa does not represent what happened in the match or what we saw on the pitch. Everyone knows that it will be a difficult day. Against Betis, we will have to play at our best," he said. To beat the Sevillian side, Flick confirmed that midfielder Gavi, who did not play in the cup match against Atletico due to discomfort, will be available for the game.

The German coach revealed that his idea was for Gavi to play "a few minutes" in the Metropolitano, in the Cup semi-final against Atletico Madrid, "but there were doubts about his condition and we decided to reserve him." "Now he doesn't have any problems. I've been talking to the doctors and the physios, and Gavi is available for the game," he said.

Leaders in La Liga, qualified for the cup final and are in the quarter-finals of the Champions League, Barca are still aiming for everything this season, but the German coach was cautious: "Thinking about the treble is all very well, but we mustn't focus on dreams. We have to look ahead to the next game."

Nevertheless, Flick likes "the confidence" the players have in themselves. "The team is not afraid and believes it has the quality to beat any opponent. At the moment, I like the mentality I see in the dressing room," the German coach summed up. "What I can say is that I want to win every game and play 15 more games for this team, the club and the fans. If we achieve that, I'll be very happy," he concluded.

Flick believes that although he has "found the key" to getting his team to defend better "with possession", there is still room for improvement. "Sometimes, we can allow too much space for counter-attacks and that's what we want to eliminate," he claimed.

Betis will put him to the test this Saturday at the Estadio Lluís Companys, in a new battle for the league title that the Barcelona coach does not consider to be between just two teams yet. "There are still nine games left. This is not between Barca and Madrid. There are other teams with quality that can also win it," he said.