Barcelona manager Hansi Flick has stated that they are working specifically with star signing Dani Olmo in order to get him back to 100%, after several months without continuity in the starting line-up. He should have plenty of opportunities in the coming weeks with a packed and difficult schedule on the way.

That calendar includes Benfica, Barcelona’s opponents in the Champions League Round of 16, who they also faced in the group stage.

“It’s a complicated match,” Flick told the press. “They are doing well and we already saw it. In this round of the Champions League there is no easy opponent. It will be a tough tie.”

Flick was not willing to evaluate the prospect of a potential Clasico final in the Champions League, nor a potential treble run for the Blaugrana.

“First we have to get to the final, I don’t care about the rival. It’s a long road. First we have Benfica, which is a great team.”

“It is not easy, it is a very difficult path. We are going to give our best, but when you see the quality of other teams it is impressive. It’s good to have these top-level matches, it’s competition. We play football for that reason.”

The past week has seen plenty of speculation around the future of Vitor Roque, with Palmeiras pursuing a move for the Brazilian, but Flick batted away that question.

“It’s not my job. If anything changes, it’s Deco’s job.”

The German coach has rotated his squad at times, but generally gone with his strongest team throughout the season so far.

“We have one more training session today and we will decide later. We always focus on the next game, but we also have to think about Atlético. The important game is Las Palmas.”

Official: Barcelona will be facing Benfica in the Champions League round of 16.

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— barcacentre (@barcacentre) February 21, 2025

“The team is at a good physical level, but we also have to think about the next games. There is the national team break and our players are also playing. It is part of our job, we have to know what the players can give us. I am happy with what I see, there are players at the highest level.”

Meanwhile Olmo is one of the few players, beyond Andreas Christensen, who has struggled coming back from injury this season.

“We are working on it. Last season he already had some injuries. We are working individually with him.”

Their task on Saturday night (21:00 CEST) is a trip to Las Palmas, who beat Barcelona at Montjuic. Flick also had a word for their captain, Kirian Rodriguez, who is for a second time taking a career break to battle cancer.

“They are better than what the table reflects. They have many injured players. We all think about Kirian, he is in a complicated situation. We give him and his family all the support. Health is the most important thing.”

The headline from Flick’s press conference was his views on the refereeing controversy in Spain though, asking for the Federation to provide more protection to officials. He also called on managers and players to take more responsibility for their criticisms.