Hansi Flick has played down Barcelona’s impressive form after they claimed their 11th consecutive win with a 2-0 result over Racing Santander on Thursday night.
The La Liga champions suffered a 3-0 defeat to Chelsea in the UEFA Champions League in November, but have now won their next 11 matches after that loss.
They have also opened up a four-point gap over rivals Real Madrid in the league and defeated them 3-2 to win the Spanish Super Cup last Sunday.
The German named a strong lineup for Thursday’s Copa Del Rey clash, hoping to avoid any shock result as Real Madrid, who were beaten 3-2 by Albacete on Wednesday.
“This is nothing. [I am not concerned] with statistics. I am happy we won today, for us, the club and the fans. It means we are in the next round and this is what we want”, the German stated.
It took Barcelona over an hour to find the breakthrough as Ferran Torres opened the scoring in the 66th minute of a tense encounter.
Lamine Yamal then completed the scoring with a second in stoppage time, although the Catalan giants have goalkeeper Joan Garcia to thank after his stunning save at 1-0.
“I knew before this would be tough game,” Flick added. “For me, it was important to get a clean sheet. Of course, the big chance they have to make it 1-1, 30 seconds before our second goal, it was important to save it.
“Thanks to Joan, it was absolutely [a great save]. It was a big chance for them but he saved good and, in the end, I am happy to be in the next round.”
Barcelona advance to the quarterfinals of the Copa Del Rey, but will return to La Liga action this weekend against Real Sociedad.
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