Hansi Flick Prepares a Masterstroke to Seize the Copa del Rey… and Topple Carlo Ancelotti's Real Madrid!
The German coach has already made key decisions ahead of Saturday's grand final. They all point to a single objective: neutralizing Ancelotti's team from the heart of the field.
Flick Is Very Good Against Real Madrid: 0-4 and 2-5
As he did in the 0-4 at Bernabéu in LaLiga. As he did in the 5-2 in the Super Cup in Arabia. Flick knows nothing but victory against the white team.
The German coach not only has a tactical surprise for his rival in the Copa final. He has also activated a strategy to arrive at the league Clásico on May 11 in top form. But Barça is playing for more than a title in the Copa final, and Flick knows it.
Before the match against Real Madrid in the League, four Barça players are on the verge of suspension due to card accumulation: Raphinha, Íñigo Martínez, Jules Koundé, and Gavi. All of them are one yellow card away from missing the manageable match against Valladolid... and that's why against Mallorca they might force a booking to arrive "clean" for the league clash against the eternal rival.
But the real coup de grâce from Flick will come in the Copa final. The coach is betting on a line-up full of dynamism and aggressiveness in the midfield.
The Tactical Surprise Flick Prepares for Ancelotti
The big tactical surprise will be Gavi's starting role, who will return to the line-up. He will do so with a key role: to press, unsettle, and suffocate Real Madrid in the midfield, right where the champion will be decided.
The rest of the line-up, barring injuries in the match against Mallorca, is set. Szczęsny in goal; Koundé, Cubarsí, Íñigo Martínez, and Gerard Martín in defense. Pedri and Frenkie de Jong will accompany Gavi in the middle, with Lamine Yamal, Raphinha, and Ferran Torres at the front of the attack.
Ter Stegen will be on the bench, but Flick is not going to experiment in a Copa final.
Ferran will be tasked with replacing Lewandowski, whom Flick reserves for LaLiga and the Champions League.
Barça wants to lift the Cup and send a message of strength before the final stretch of the League. Flick already has his recipe: pressure, youth, and a bold line-up to end the white reign.