BARCELONA : Barcelona are in contention for three major titles but manager Hansi Flick said it was still too early to evaluate their trophy chances after they beat Benfica 3-1 on Tuesday to reach the Champions League quarter-finals.
Barca maintained their imperious form with a commanding win over Benfica to extend their unbeaten run to 17 games across all competitions.
While Barca lead LaLiga and have also reached the Copa del Rey semi-finals, Flick played down talk of title pressure and said it was still too early to be thinking about silverware.
“First things first, we need to focus on the quarter-finals and be well prepared for the opponents we face next,” Flick told reporters on Tuesday.
“The Champions League is the most difficult trophy that exists and sure, we hope we can keep advancing and be good enough to win it all but that is still a long way to go.”
Barca will meet in the quarters the winner of the tie between Lille and Borussia Dortmund, who play on Wednesday after the first leg in Germany ended in a 1-1 draw.
Only one point separates Spain’s three biggest clubs in one of the closest LaLiga title races in recent years with Barca leading the pack on 57 points, ahead of second-placed Real Madrid on goal difference with Atletico Madrid in third on 56 points. Barca have a game in hand over both.
In the Copa del Rey, Barca will travel to Madrid to face Atletico in their semi-final second leg on April 2 after a 4-4 draw in the first.
On Tuesday, a superb Barca dismantled Benfica thanks to a double by Raphinha and a superb individual goal by Lamine Yamal in a rampant first half, as they advanced with a 4-1 aggregate victory.
“I’m happy, we respected Benfica, they did a great job, they made it difficult for us, but we did very well, I’m proud,” Flick said.
“Lamine hadn’t scored for a long time, six games and over a month, so he’s happy because it was a very important goal for us, a brilliant effort. We are all happy for him because he is a great kid and a fantastic player.”
