Hansi Flick said that Barcelona's 4-1 victory over Bayern Munich in the Champions League on Wednesday has given him and his team a confidence boost ahead of El Clasico on Saturday. (More Football News)
Flick managed their German opponents from 2019-2021 and was delighted with the win, which was the biggest test of their season so far ahead of a trip to Madrid.
Barcelona scored four goals against Bayern for the second time in their Champions League history, after doing so in April 2009 under Pep Guardiola (4-0).
And Flick was delighted with what he saw from his team at the Estadi Olímpic Lluis Companys.
"It's unbelievable this win. Bayern are a wonderful team with fantastic players who know how to play very well. You want to see them play," Flick told reporters.
"Of course, if you win this kind of game you have to celebrate. This win gives us the confidence to believe in our quality for the game coming up on Saturday.
"With the level our team has been showing, you can achieve great things. We played with a lot of courage and that's why I'm very happy. The team wants to learn, and we will learn from the things we didn't do as well.
"We have one day less than Real Madrid to prepare for the Clasico but all the players want to play this game. We will prepare well and be ready."
Prior to Wednesday's match, Barcelona had lost six straight matches against Bayern by an aggregate score of 22-4 - including an 8-2 quarter-final defeat four years ago.
But this time, their performance was led by captain Raphinha, who became just the fourth player in European Cup/UEFA Champions League history to score a hat-trick against Bayern, after Roy Makaay in 2002, Sergio Agüero in 2014 and Cristiano Ronaldo in 2017.
Understandably, Flick was full of praise for the Brazilian forward.
"[Raphinha] is a good example of how a player can impact how a team can function," Flick said.
"He always has a good attitude in training and in matches. He's very important for us, also because of the counter-attacking pressure he puts on. And also because of the way he prepares to score. He has a good dynamic on the ball and he played an extraordinary game.
"His offensive and defensive dynamics, and his good technique, is something special. I've never had a player like him, and he helps us a lot."
