Borussia Dortmund coach praises Hansi Flick ahead of Barcelona faceoff

FC Barcelona and Borussia Dortmund will meet once again this season on Wednesday night in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys.

After their earlier league phase encounter on 11 December – a 2–3 away victory for Barça – the rematch brings added intrigue with Niko Kovac now at the helm of the German side.

Kovac took over as Borussia Dortmund manager in February following the dismissal of Nuri Sahin.

The 53-year-old Croatian coach was once the mentor of current Barcelona boss Hansi Flick at Bayern Munich, where Flick joined Kovac’s staff in 2019. Now, for the first time, they will face each other as rivals on the touchline.

Speaking to Mundo Deportivo, Kovac was full of admiration for his former assistant.

“Hansi is a great coach. He already showed signs of his potential back then,” said the Dortmund boss. “I am really pleased with how things are going for him.”