Barcelona manager Hansi Flick said welcoming his former club Bayern Munich in the Champions League on Wednesday will be special but that he is feeling right at home after an outstanding start with the Catalan giants.

Flick, who had great success at Bayern, winning the Champions League as part of a treble in 2020 before taking on the Germany job the following year, has led Barca to the top of La Liga with nine wins from 10 games.

Despite losing their European opener at Monaco, Barcelona bounced back with a commanding 5-0 win against Young Boys.

Flick wants his side to get a statement win against Bayern to boost their confidence before they travel to the capital to face old rivals Real Madrid in the Clasico on Saturday.

“Bayern is something special in my life, it’s an excellent club and I have many acquaintances and relationships with players and managers. It was a great time, that’s my memory. But now there is a new chapter, I am delighted here and very happy,” Flick told a press conference on Tuesday.

“I have a very good feeling for being here. The fans support us with so much passion and it forces you to give your all. That’s how we’re going to continue, we want to be well prepared. I can get to know Bayern a little better but it will be a difficult game.”

Flick, who was Bayern’s manager when they humiliated Barcelona 8-2 in the Champions League quarter-finals four years ago, dodged questions about that game and said the players should channel their energy in the present.

“The past is in the past and what we should focus on is the here and now. What happened in the past we cannot change, but we can change what happens tomorrow. I want us to be well prepared and give our best. We want to beat Bayern,” Flick said.

For Barcelona, perhaps the most crucial difference has been former Bayern striker Robert Lewandowski’s return to form.

Flick has backed the Polish striker to the hilt despite his struggles last season and the 36-year-old has responded with 14 goals in 12 matches across all competitions.

However, Flick said his and Lewandowski’s Bayern reunion would not just be a battle between the striker and Bayern hitman Harry Kane, despite all eyes being on both the strikers.

“It’s never a battle about players, it’s a battle about the (whole) team,” said Flick.

De Bruyne doubtful

Manchester City’s Kevin De Bruyne needs to be eased back into action after his lay-off with a muscle injury, manager Pep Guardiola said, adding that the midfielder is a doubt for Wednesday’s match at home to Sparta Prague.

The 33-year-old De Bruyne was injured against Inter Milan in the Champions League last month and has missed the English champions’ last six fixtures.

City are already without midfielders Rodri and Oscar Bobb due to long-term injuries but Guardiola said he would resist the temptation to call on De Bruyne until the Belgian was comfortable.

“Well, except for Rodri and Oscar, the other ones are in training and getting better, but guys like Kevin for example are not exactly fit,” the Spaniard told reporters.

“It’s not a new issue but he doesn’t feel completely fine. Kevin is not 22 years old, he has to be fit for his football. “He doesn’t feel comfortable that he can express his incredible potential at his best.

“He is training better but he doesn’t feel good. He said he doesn’t feel good. If you don’t feel good, take your time.”

On Wednesday, City face Czech champions Sparta, who are level with them on
four points after beating RB Salzburg 3-0 in their opener and drawing 1-1 with VfB Stuttgart.

“They created a lot of problems (for Stuttgart). “I didn’t know Sparta until the last two days when I started to watch them and I have a good impression,” Guardiola added.

Atletico’s ‘mission’

Atletico Madrid wants to attract a record number of spectators with disabilities to a Champions League match to raise awareness about inclusion and the need to promote better access to the sport for disabled fans in venues across Europe.

Thousands of supporters with disabilities are expected at Atletico’s game against Lille at Metropolitano Stadium on Wednesday when the club could break the record of 1,740 disabled fans set by Real Betis in a Spanish league game against Valladolid last year.

“They proposed to us to do this type of match and automatically we said, ‘Yes,’” Atletico chief operating officer Óscar Mayo said. “We are not worried about the record, it’s more about the awareness.”