“It was all pure goosebumps” - Barcelona boss Hansi Flick speaks up on Gavi’s return from lengthy injury spell 

Barcelona manager Hansi Flick has opened up on how special it was to see starlet Gavi returning from injury after a lengthy lay-off. The Spaniard came on for Pedri in the 83rd minute of Barca's massive 5-1 win over Sevilla on Sunday, October 20.

Gavi, who was ruled out with an anterior cruciate ligament injury for close to a year before this game, played the remaining seven minutes. Barca boss Flick mentioned how seeing the crowd chanting Gavi's name gave him goosebumps.

Flick was speaking to reporters ahead of Barcelona's clash against Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League at home on Wednesday, October 23. He made it clear that although he had coached Bayern before, he is committed to the Barca cause.

According to reputed sports journalist and transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, Flick also mentioned the availability of Frenkie de Jong for the big game. The German made sure that the attention was on Barca, and not Bayern.

“I respect Bayern, it’s (a) great memory but I’m at Barça now. Frenkie will be available, then last week we saw Gavi coming on, all the stadium chanting his name, Pedri giving him the captain’s armband.... it was all pure goosebumps,” Flick said.

Bayern Munich and Barcelona will face off on Wednesday

Bayern and Barcelona will clash in a fiery Champions League encounter on Wednesday. The two teams know what it takes to lift the title, and hence need no introduction, either to each other or the tournament. While Bayern have emerged champions six times, the Spanish giants have won the tournament five times.

When these teams last met each other in the Champions League, in the group stage of the 2022-23 season, Bayern beat Barcelona 5-0 over the two legs. Manchester City went on to win the title that year, beating Inter Milan in the final.

Flick was quite successful at Bayern, winning the Bundesliga twice and the Champions League in 2019-20. He also led them to a FIFA Club World Cup title in 2020.

Meanwhile, the Blaugrana continue to rule the La Liga table with 27 points to their name from 10 games. Bayern, too, are on the top of the Bundesliga table with 17 points from seven matches, setting the stage for a mouthwatering encounter.