"I can smell a masterclass", "Exactly what I wanted" - Barcelona fans react as star included in XI to face Dortmund in UCL Q/F

A section of Barcelona fans are happy with Hansi Flick’s decision to include Fermin Lopez in the starting XI for their clash with Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday, April 9. The two sides are set to face off in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League quarterfinal at Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys.

This clash between Barcelona and Dortmund will be the second time the two sides have faced off in this season’s Champions League. They previously met in the league phase, with La Blaugrana securing a 3-2 away victory. With Hansi Flick at the helm, Barcelona will be hoping to get past Dortmund and reach their first Champions League semifinal since the 2018-19 edition.

Lopez, who grew through the ranks at the Catalan club, has been a key player for Flick’s side this season, though he has been hugely affected by injuries. The midfielder came in as a substitute in Barcelona’s last game (against Real Betis 1-1), playing just 15 minutes.

However, Flick decided to make some changes to his lineup for the Dortmund clash as he named Fermin Lopez in the starting lineup, replacing Gavi. The decision seemed to sit well with some La Blaugrana who took to X (formerly Twitter) to express their excitement about the tactical setup.

An X user wrote:

‘‘Exactly what I wanted , Fermin over Gavi for games like this. Let’s go boyssss!''

Another tweeted:

‘‘I can smell a Fermin masterclass,''

‘‘Perfect! — the right decision to start Fermin over Gavi,'' @usmantariq711 wrote.

‘‘Perfect XI... Big day for Fermin to make a statement,'' @mexxiboy chimed in.

‘‘Fermin over Gavi?? Not bad. Let’s eat,'' @ninodrae added.

Fermin Lopez has scored 5 goals and provided seven assists for Barcelona this season.

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“They are a very good team. Niko will be able to put out a good line-up’’ – Barcelona Hansi Flick on Borussia Dortmund and their manager

In the pre-match press conference of Barcelona’s Champions League first-leg match with Dortmund, Hansi Flick spoke about the Bundesliga side and their manager. The German tactician expressed excitement at his reunion with Dortmund manager Niko Kovac and said his Dortmund side are a very good team.

Hansi Flick said (via Barca Universal):

“It’s something I’ve thought about a lot. It’s good that I know Niko and he can help us. Our job is to prepare ourselves. Niko is a fantastic coach, a wonderful person and I’m looking forward to meeting him again.”

“They are a very good team. Niko will be able to put out a good line-up. They are strong defensively and I wish the injured players all the best. They have some very good players and it’s a pity, but they have enough players to make up for their losses.”

Flick was Niko Kovac's assistant manager during their time together at Bayern Munich before taking over from him.