Barcelona coach Hansi Flick addressed the media before the club's final home game of the season against Real Betis, marking the penultimate round of La Liga. The main topic of discussion was the announcement by Robert Lewandowski that he will leave the club this summer.

Flick confirmed this: “We had a conversation. Robert is leaving the team. It was a great period for him at Barcelona, he was an exceptional professional. I worked with Robert for four years, we won nine trophies, and it was a privilege for me. He sets an example, which is why he performs at such a high level. He always gives his best to stay in top form. He is a fantastic player and person, a role model for the young players in the squad.

The Catalan coach admitted that finding a replacement for Lewandowski will be challenging: “It won’t be easy to find someone of Robert’s level on the market – a player capable of scoring between 25 to 30 goals. I’ve said this many times. He will be missed, but that’s life. We need to rejuvenate our attack. He was a great example for the young ones, showing how hard he works, even in tough moments.”

Flick confirmed that Lewandowski will start against Betis the following day. “Lewandowski will start against Betis tomorrow. He deserves it. I don’t know what will happen next season. I don’t know who will come. We are on the market and we have time.

Goals are always needed, and we want to win all our remaining home games. That would be perfect. We are playing against a great team, very stable over the last few years, with high-level players. It won’t be easy, it wasn’t last season either, but we want to win,” the German specialist commented.

The team will be different from the one that played against Alavés. De Jong is out for tomorrow, he is not feeling well. That is certain, it is decided. For Rashford, we will have to wait, but I believe he will be with us.

Asked about potential departures of other players, he replied: “I don’t think there will be more departures, but in football, everything is possible. Christensen? The plan is to give him minutes tomorrow. We wanted him to play against Alavés, but we changed our minds. This time, I believe it will be possible for him to play.

Finally, he spoke about the European challenge: “We didn’t succeed in the Champions League, we didn’t reach our maximum potential. We need to play better and score more goals. Europe is our goal, we know it’s very difficult, but not impossible.”