Hansi Flick's father dies hours before the classic match that could decide the league

BarcelonaBarça has communicated the death of Hansi Flick's father hours before playing a classic that could decide La Liga. The club has expressed its condolences to the German coach, who will be on the Camp Nou bench for the duel against Real Madrid (9 p.m., Movistar LaLiga), according to the club.

The entity communicated it via a tweet. "We share your pain and accompany you in this very difficult moment for him and his family," could be read in a text accompanied by the Barça crest with a black ribbon and a blue and red background. The first signs of support for the coach have not been long in coming through social networks.

Despite the news, the utmost possible normality has been maintained in the build-up to a match marked in red on the calendar. The squad —led by Hansi Flick— gathered this afternoon in a Barcelona hotel after the activation session held this morning.

A historical classic

Sportingly, Barça needs a draw to be League champions in a historic match. Never before has a classic against Real Madrid been able to mathematically certify the title. The Barça fan sees the title so close that they already have the cava in the fridge. Celebrations are also prepared, albeit discreetly.

Hansi Flick knows this well, who acted as a psychologist in the build-up to remind everyone that the job is not done yet and that the match will be "difficult". "We have had a fantastic season as a team and this is what I want to see on Sunday. It is not normal to win two leagues in a row in Spain and this is our goal." And if not today, he will still have three games to spare to be champion. The injured Lamine Yamal, Barça's main attacking reference, will not be there, but Raphinha will be able to play, who has been cleared since last week and is set to start.

The German coach will not experiment with the lineup, as he never does in major tournaments, but there are some unknowns, such as who will be the center forward, Lewandowski or Ferran, or who will accompany Pedri in midfield. “It won't be an easy decision. But it all depends on us. We want to play our style, with unity. That's what I ask of my players.” Flick spoke about football and did not want to comment on Real Madrid's crisis, about which he only said he was “surprised.” No one could have foreseen that the whites would arrive with an unprecedented internal conflict, with the locker room divided and with players coming to blows.

About to complete a second consecutive year without major titles, the fight between Tchouaméni and Valverde, which ended with the latter in the hospital, was the last straw. Coach Álvaro Arbeloa came out to put out the fire in the press room, in a preview monopolized by off-field matters, and not by the ball.

Arbeloa acts as a firefighter

The Madrid coach acted as a firefighter. Or he tried to. He sided with the footballers and tried to appear conciliatory. He only had discordant words for whoever decided to leak the information –the clubs' internal code states that what happens in the locker room should not be disclosed–, whom he described as a “traitor”. “I am very proud of the club's decisive, swift, and transparent action. The players have expressed their regret, acknowledged their mistake, accepted the consequences of their actions, and apologized. I will not burn the players at the stake”.

Thus, it is impossible to predict how Real Madrid will perform in the classic. Whether it will be a scattered or competitive team. The latest performances do not invite optimism, nor does the string of absences, especially in defense. Up front, Kylian Mbappé, the great madridista hope, has been ruled out of the squad after not recovering from the injury to the semitendinosus muscle of his left leg. Tchouaméni and Courtois have been included, with the latter regaining his starting position in goal after being out for a month.