(Reuters) – Barcelona boss Hansi Flick said his team were in high spirits after their thumping win at Real Madrid and had turned their attention to derby rivals Espanyol, but the German said all sport should be suspended due to the deadly floods in Valencia.
Barcelona thrashed Real Madrid 4-0 at the Santiago Bernabeu last weekend to establish a six-point lead in LaLiga but their city rivals Espanyol are 20 points behind and languishing in 17th place, a point above the relegation zone.
Barcelona hold an impeccable record in the fixture, which has often been one-sided, and have not lost against Espanyol in their last 26 league encounters, while Flick is well aware of the stakes ahead of his first derby.
“I know what a Barca-Espanyol derby means. It will be a tough match, for sure. After a fantastic week, it is important to be at 100% tomorrow, with intensity and maximum quality,” Flick told reporters on Saturday.
“We always prepare well for the next game. After the celebrations, we focus on the next game. We work on what we want tomorrow. It’s a very long game in the league and we focus on the next game.”
With second-placed Real Madrid’s game at Valencia postponed due to the floods, Barcelona can provisionally extend their lead to nine points.
But, like many others in sport, Flick voiced his concerns about playing during a time of tragedy after the deadliest flash floods in Spain’s modern history killed at least 211 people while dozens are still unaccounted for.
“If it were me, I might do it (suspend sport) because it is an incredible tragedy for Valencia and Spain as a whole,” the German coach said.
“We have spoken with Ferran (Torres), who is from the area, and it is not easy to decide whether the game should be played or not.
“For me it is a tragedy. It was something similar in Germany three years ago, it is horrible. We will do everything we can to help. The rest is for LaLiga to decide.”
(Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru; editing by Clare Fallon)
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