Barcelona handed boost as 2 key Benfica stars set to miss first-leg of Round of 16 UCL clash: Reports
According to Mundo Deportivo, Barcelona have received a boost ahead of the first leg of their UEFA Champions League round-of-16 clash against Benfica. The Portuguese club will be without Angel Di Maria and Florentino Luis for their clash with the Catalan giants on Wednesday, March 5, in Lisbon.
Di Maria has been missing since picking up a muscle injury in The Eagles' victory over AS Monaco in the Champions League knockout phase play-offs. Luis, who has also been dealing with a muscular injury, has not been able to recover in time to be included in the upcoming clash with the Blaugrana.
Di Maria and Luis will be big misses for Benfica, with the pair contributing 24 goal involvements this season. Barcelona will be keen to take advantage of any absences in their opponents as they aim to lift the UEFA Champions League for the first time since the 2014/15 season.
Barcelona star Lamine Yamal on life under Hansi Flick
Barcelona star Lamine Yamal recently discussed his experience playing under manager Hansi Flick this season. The Spanish forward has been phenomenal under the former Bayern Munich boss, bagging 11 goals and 16 assists in 35 games.
Speaking about playing under Flick, Yamal told UEFA's official website (via BarcaBlaugranes):
“He asks how you’re doing, he teaches you a lot, and I’ve learned so much from him. That’s why he’s respected both as a coach and as a person. He’s exactly as he appears—strict, but also understanding of what each player needs at any given moment. When it comes to defensive concepts, he does ask certain things of me, but in attack, he doesn’t say much—just to enjoy myself. That’s the confidence he gives us.”
Yamal concluded:
“I think the key is to think about yourself, to try to do the best for the team and for yourself. I’m not a player who looks at statistics a lot, I play to enjoy myself, so that people enjoy themselves and to win, obviously. I don’t focus on whether someone else has more or less than me.
"When I watch another team’s football match, I want to enjoy myself, I want to see players who face each other. That’s what I try to do when people come to the stadium, to see an entertaining match. In the end it’s about enjoying myself so that people enjoy themselves.”
Lamine Yamal has been brilliant since he broke into the Barcelona lineup two years ago. The Spaniard has played 86 games for his boyhood club, scoring 18 times and providing 23 assists across competitions.