Tyson Fury to face bear-wrestling Arslanbek Makhmudov in latest comeback Tyson Fury’s latest comeback has revived the prospect of a long-awaited showdown with Anthony Joshua.First, though, the self-described “Gypsy King” needs to deal with a Russian-born heavyweight who wrestled a bear for fun. Arslanbek Makhmudov is Fury’s opponent in their 12-round fight on Saturday at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.Fury, the former two-time heavyweight champion, came out of retirement for the fifth time because he wants to “punch men in the face and get paid for it.”The 37-year-old Fury had called it quits shortly after losing to Oleksandr Usyk in December 2024 for a second time — his only two professional defeats.Usyk holds the WBC, WBA and IBF titles and at age 39 has indicated he only has a few fights left in him. The Ukrainian’s next bout, though, has taken everyone by surprise — he’s set to face kickboxing star Rico Verhoeven in May at the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt.Also in May, WBO title holder Fabio Wardley faces Daniel Dubois in Manchester.Usyk told The Associated Press in a recent interview he foresees a trilogy bout with the charismatic Englishman: “In my head, Tyson Fury, it’s the last dance.”In their first meeting, Fury had lost his WBC title to Usyk via split decision in May 2024. The rematch was a unanimous decision for Usyk.Fury (34-2-1, 24 KOs), if he can take care of business Saturday, has his sights set on Joshua, telling DAZN: “That’s the fight we’re looking to make next.”The 36-year-old Joshua had called out Fury after breaking Jake Paul’s jaw in a stoppage victory in December. Days later, though, Joshua was involved in a fatal car crash in Nigeria. He was a passenger in the vehicle and two of his close friends were killed.Fury has said the tragedy is part of what motivated him to come out of retirement.Joshua appears set to resume fighting. Last weekend, he attended the Deontay Wilder vs. Derek Chisora bout in London and had a brief exchange with Wilder after the American beat Chisora.ALSO READ: Asian Boxing Championships 2026: Indian women top charts, win four gold medalsThe 36-year-old Makhmudov (21-2, 19 KOs) has created some buzz by posting a video that showed him wrestling a bear. He explained in a February 21 social media post that “the goal was to overcome the threshold of fear and learn to control yourself in critical situations.”Makhmudov hails from the Russian southern republic of Dagestan but lives in Canada. His most recent fight was a 12-round unanimous decision over Dave Allen in October.Makhmudov’s left eye was swollen shut in a loss to Guido Vianello in 2024. He was felled by Agit Kabayel’s body shots in a fourth-round stoppage in 2023.Conor Benn (24-1, 14 KOs) returns to Tottenham after two middleweight slugfests there against Chris Eubank Jr. in 2025. He lost the first one but dominated the rematch in November.In the highlight of Saturday’s undercard, the Briton faces Regis Prograis in a bout at a catchweight of 150 lbs. The 37-year-old Prograis (30-3, 24 KOs) is a former two-time world champion at super lightweight (140 lbs).Both men are hoping for a title shot later this year. The 29-year-old Benn has traded verbal jabs with WBC welterweight champion Ryan Garcia.The event begins at 7:00PM GMT (11:30PM IST) and is available on Netflix.Fury’s ring walk is expected at 10:30PM GMT (3:00AM IST), about one hour after Benn vs. Prograis.Published on Apr 09, 2026 #Tyson #Fury #face #bearwrestling #Arslanbek #Makhmudov #latest #comeback

Tyson Fury to face bear-wrestling Arslanbek Makhmudov in latest comeback
Tyson Fury’s latest comeback has revived the prospect of a long-awaited showdown with Anthony Joshua.
First, though, the self-described “Gypsy King” needs to deal with a Russian-born heavyweight who wrestled a bear for fun. Arslanbek Makhmudov is Fury’s opponent in their 12-round fight on Saturday at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Fury, the former two-time heavyweight champion, came out of retirement for the fifth time because he wants to “punch men in the face and get paid for it.”
The 37-year-old Fury had called it quits shortly after losing to Oleksandr Usyk in December 2024 for a second time — his only two professional defeats.
Usyk holds the WBC, WBA and IBF titles and at age 39 has indicated he only has a few fights left in him. The Ukrainian’s next bout, though, has taken everyone by surprise — he’s set to face kickboxing star Rico Verhoeven in May at the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt.
Also in May, WBO title holder Fabio Wardley faces Daniel Dubois in Manchester.
Usyk told The Associated Press in a recent interview he foresees a trilogy bout with the charismatic Englishman: “In my head, Tyson Fury, it’s the last dance.”
In their first meeting, Fury had lost his WBC title to Usyk via split decision in May 2024. The rematch was a unanimous decision for Usyk.
Fury (34-2-1, 24 KOs), if he can take care of business Saturday, has his sights set on Joshua, telling DAZN: “That’s the fight we’re looking to make next.”
The 36-year-old Joshua had called out Fury after breaking Jake Paul’s jaw in a stoppage victory in December. Days later, though, Joshua was involved in a fatal car crash in Nigeria. He was a passenger in the vehicle and two of his close friends were killed.
Fury has said the tragedy is part of what motivated him to come out of retirement.
Joshua appears set to resume fighting. Last weekend, he attended the Deontay Wilder vs. Derek Chisora bout in London and had a brief exchange with Wilder after the American beat Chisora.
ALSO READ: Asian Boxing Championships 2026: Indian women top charts, win four gold medals
The 36-year-old Makhmudov (21-2, 19 KOs) has created some buzz by posting a video that showed him wrestling a bear. He explained in a February 21 social media post that “the goal was to overcome the threshold of fear and learn to control yourself in critical situations.”
Makhmudov hails from the Russian southern republic of Dagestan but lives in Canada. His most recent fight was a 12-round unanimous decision over Dave Allen in October.
Makhmudov’s left eye was swollen shut in a loss to Guido Vianello in 2024. He was felled by Agit Kabayel’s body shots in a fourth-round stoppage in 2023.
Conor Benn (24-1, 14 KOs) returns to Tottenham after two middleweight slugfests there against Chris Eubank Jr. in 2025. He lost the first one but dominated the rematch in November.
In the highlight of Saturday’s undercard, the Briton faces Regis Prograis in a bout at a catchweight of 150 lbs. The 37-year-old Prograis (30-3, 24 KOs) is a former two-time world champion at super lightweight (140 lbs).
Both men are hoping for a title shot later this year. The 29-year-old Benn has traded verbal jabs with WBC welterweight champion Ryan Garcia.
The event begins at 7:00PM GMT (11:30PM IST) and is available on Netflix.
Fury’s ring walk is expected at 10:30PM GMT (3:00AM IST), about one hour after Benn vs. Prograis.
Published on Apr 09, 2026
#Tyson #Fury #face #bearwrestling #Arslanbek #Makhmudov #latest #comeback

Tyson Fury’s latest comeback has revived the prospect of a long-awaited showdown with Anthony Joshua.

First, though, the self-described “Gypsy King” needs to deal with a Russian-born heavyweight who wrestled a bear for fun. Arslanbek Makhmudov is Fury’s opponent in their 12-round fight on Saturday at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Fury, the former two-time heavyweight champion, came out of retirement for the fifth time because he wants to “punch men in the face and get paid for it.”

The 37-year-old Fury had called it quits shortly after losing to Oleksandr Usyk in December 2024 for a second time — his only two professional defeats.

Usyk holds the WBC, WBA and IBF titles and at age 39 has indicated he only has a few fights left in him. The Ukrainian’s next bout, though, has taken everyone by surprise — he’s set to face kickboxing star Rico Verhoeven in May at the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt.

Also in May, WBO title holder Fabio Wardley faces Daniel Dubois in Manchester.

Usyk told The Associated Press in a recent interview he foresees a trilogy bout with the charismatic Englishman: “In my head, Tyson Fury, it’s the last dance.”

In their first meeting, Fury had lost his WBC title to Usyk via split decision in May 2024. The rematch was a unanimous decision for Usyk.

Fury (34-2-1, 24 KOs), if he can take care of business Saturday, has his sights set on Joshua, telling DAZN: “That’s the fight we’re looking to make next.”

The 36-year-old Joshua had called out Fury after breaking Jake Paul’s jaw in a stoppage victory in December. Days later, though, Joshua was involved in a fatal car crash in Nigeria. He was a passenger in the vehicle and two of his close friends were killed.

Fury has said the tragedy is part of what motivated him to come out of retirement.

Joshua appears set to resume fighting. Last weekend, he attended the Deontay Wilder vs. Derek Chisora bout in London and had a brief exchange with Wilder after the American beat Chisora.

ALSO READ: Asian Boxing Championships 2026: Indian women top charts, win four gold medals

The 36-year-old Makhmudov (21-2, 19 KOs) has created some buzz by posting a video that showed him wrestling a bear. He explained in a February 21 social media post that “the goal was to overcome the threshold of fear and learn to control yourself in critical situations.”

Makhmudov hails from the Russian southern republic of Dagestan but lives in Canada. His most recent fight was a 12-round unanimous decision over Dave Allen in October.

Makhmudov’s left eye was swollen shut in a loss to Guido Vianello in 2024. He was felled by Agit Kabayel’s body shots in a fourth-round stoppage in 2023.

Conor Benn (24-1, 14 KOs) returns to Tottenham after two middleweight slugfests there against Chris Eubank Jr. in 2025. He lost the first one but dominated the rematch in November.

In the highlight of Saturday’s undercard, the Briton faces Regis Prograis in a bout at a catchweight of 150 lbs. The 37-year-old Prograis (30-3, 24 KOs) is a former two-time world champion at super lightweight (140 lbs).

Both men are hoping for a title shot later this year. The 29-year-old Benn has traded verbal jabs with WBC welterweight champion Ryan Garcia.

The event begins at 7:00PM GMT (11:30PM IST) and is available on Netflix.

Fury’s ring walk is expected at 10:30PM GMT (3:00AM IST), about one hour after Benn vs. Prograis.

Published on Apr 09, 2026

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#Tyson #Fury #face #bearwrestling #Arslanbek #Makhmudov #latest #comeback

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Deadspin | Bench helps Spurs top Blazers, clinch West’s No. 2 seed <div id=""><section id="0" class=" w-full"><div class="xl:container mx-0 !px-4 py-0 pb-4 !mx-0 !px-0"><img src="https://images.deadspin.com/tr:w-900/28687467.jpg" srcset="https://images.deadspin.com/tr:w-900/28687467.jpg" alt="NBA: Portland Trail Blazers at San Antonio Spurs" class="w-full" fetchpriority="high" loading="eager"/><span class="text-0.8 leading-tight">Apr 8, 2026; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs guard De’Aaron Fox (4) dunks over Portland Trail Blazers forward Toumani Camara (33) during the first half at Frost Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Images  </span></div></section><section id="section-1"> <p>De’Aaron Fox poured in 25 points and San Antonio’s reserves contributed 48 points as the host Spurs defeated the Portland Trail Blazers 112-101 on Wednesday.</p> </section><section id="section-2"> <p>San Antonio played without Victor Wembanyama (left rib contusion) and Stephon Castle (right knee soreness) but still had enough to outlast the determined and hungry Trail Blazers.</p> </section><section id="section-3"> <p>The win was the Spurs’ 13th in their past 14 games. San Antonio (61-19) is guaranteed the No. 2 spot in the West and will open its first trip to the playoffs since the 2018-19 season at home next week. </p> </section><section id="section-4"> <p>The Trail Blazers (40-40) remain ninth in the West, a game back of the Clippers with two contests remaining. Portland can finish no higher than eighth in the conference standings.</p> </section><section id="section-5"> <p>Keldon Johnson led the Spurs’ reserves with 20 points while Carter Bryant hit for a career-high 17. Devin Vassell had 14, Dylan Harper scored 13 and Luke Kornet hit for 10.</p> </section><br/><section id="section-6"> <p>Deni Avdija paced Portland with 29 points, with Scott Henderson scoring 20, Toumani Camara contributing 18, Jrue Holiday tallying 13 and Donovan Clingan racking up 11 points and 11 rebounds.</p> </section> <section id="section-7"> <p>San Antonio led by 15 in the second quarter and by 10 at halftime before the Trail Blazers clawed back to within 73-68 midway through the third quarter. The Spurs responded by scoring 13 of the period’s final 15 points to carry an 88-73 edge into the final quarter..</p> </section><section id="section-8"> <p>Portland closed to within 103-97 on a 3-pointer by Holiday with 3:34 remaining. The Spurs swung back with a jumper from beyond the arc by Fox and a dunk by Kornet and were never again seriously threatened.</p> </section><section id="section-9"> <p>The Spurs owned a 32-23 advantage after 12 minutes of play. San Antonio stoked its advantage to 15 when Johnson punctuated a 9-0 run with a pair of free throws at the 4:34 mark of the second quarter. Portland culled its deficit to eight on Avdija’s layup with 1:55 left before San Antonio settled for a 61-51 advantage at the break.</p> </section><section id="section-10"> <p>Fox led all players with 16 points before halftime while Avdija paced the Trail Blazers with 15 and Camara added 12 in the first half. </p> </section><section id="section-11"> <p>–Field Level Media</p> </section></div> #Deadspin #Bench #helps #Spurs #top #Blazers #clinch #Wests #seed

Deadspin | Maple Leafs, Panthers play out the string with youngsters Sep 21st, 2025; Ottawa, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Maple Leafs goalie Artur Akhtyamov (70) loses sight of the puck following a shot by Ottawa Senators center Ridly Greig (71) in the third period at the Canadian Tire Centre. Mandatory Credit: Marc DesRosiers-IMAGN Images The Toronto Maple Leafs will host the Florida Panthers in something of an anticlimactic Saturday night bout. The reigning Stanley Cup champion Panthers (37-38-4, 78 points) and their 2025 Eastern Conference semifinal victims find themselves at the bottom of the Atlantic Division with three games remaining. The Maple Leafs (32-33-14, 78 points), who will miss their first postseason since 2016, continued their downward spiral on Thursday night with an ugly 5-3 loss to the New York Islanders. Rookie netminder Artur Akhtyamov faced 44 shots in his first NHL start. “We had 60 shot attempts or so tonight. Fifteen of them hit the net,” Maple Leafs coach Craig Berube said after his team’s fourth consecutive loss. “That’s really a lot of the story for me.” The silver lining to Toronto’s late-season turmoil is the potential to rescue its first-round pick. The Leafs dealt it to the Boston Bruins in March 2025 as part of the trade to acquire defenseman Brandon Carlo. If they finish in the league’s bottom five, though, the Maple Leafs retain the pick and Boston must wait for either their 2027 or 2028 first-round selection depending on their fortunes next season. Five NHL teams enter Saturday’s action with fewer than 78 points, but the bottom five remains realistic for Toronto as the Seattle Kraken are fifth-worst with 77 points and one additional game to play. It may well be someone from the Florida Panthers’ front office tasked with retooling the Maple Leafs this offseason, regardless of where that draft pick lands. Panthers assistant general manager Sunny Mehta has emerged as the betting favorite to become Toronto’s next general manager after the recent firing of Brad Treliving. A slew of injuries has left the Leafs’ lineup decorated with new faces and elevated role players. Forward Luke Haymes made his NHL debut against the Islanders and recorded his first point. Rookie Easton Cowan, who tied the game in the second period, was fourth among Toronto forwards with 18:54 of ice time. “I like to say ‘work before skill’ a lot of the time. I think (Cowan) has kind of grabbed that side of things,” said Berube, who did not provide an update on injuries to goaltender Anthony Stolarz, forward Dakota Joshua or Carlo. “Easton works and skates. He gets rewarded.” Player-for-player, though, the Panthers are the substantially more depleted team. Defenseman Seth Jones joined their sprawling list of injury absences after breaking his foot in their Tuesday night loss to Montreal. That list includes Aleksander Barkov, Aaron Ekblad, Brad Marchand, Sam Reinhart and Niko Mikkola. Matthew Tkachuk missed the last two games to be with his wife for the birth of his first child. Given the circumstances, coach Paul Maurice was empathetic after the Panthers’ 5-1 loss to the Ottawa Senators on Thursday. He had particularly high praise for defensemen Marek Alscher and Ludvig Jansson after their NHL debuts. “Really, really happy with his game,” Maurice said of Alscher, who logged nearly 20 minutes of ice time. “That’s an awful lot to ask a guy and then to go in with another guy who spent most of his time in the American (Hockey) League.” Berube and Maurice both indicated they would continue to experiment on Saturday. Toronto has won two of the teams’ three meetings this season. The Panthers hope to snap their own four-game losing streak. They have allowed 22 goals over the difficult stretch. –Field Level Media #Deadspin #Maple #Leafs #Panthers #play #string #youngsters

#Deadspin #Maple #Leafs #Panthers #play #string #youngsters">

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Sep 21st, 2025; Ottawa, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Maple Leafs goalie Artur Akhtyamov (70) loses sight of the puck following a shot by Ottawa Senators center Ridly Greig (71) in the third period at the Canadian Tire Centre. Mandatory Credit: Marc DesRosiers-IMAGN Images

The Toronto Maple Leafs will host the Florida Panthers in something of an anticlimactic Saturday night bout.

The reigning Stanley Cup champion Panthers (37-38-4, 78 points) and their 2025 Eastern Conference semifinal victims find themselves at the bottom of the Atlantic Division with three games remaining.

The Maple Leafs (32-33-14, 78 points), who will miss their first postseason since 2016, continued their downward spiral on Thursday night with an ugly 5-3 loss to the New York Islanders. Rookie netminder Artur Akhtyamov faced 44 shots in his first NHL start.

“We had 60 shot attempts or so tonight. Fifteen of them hit the net,” Maple Leafs coach Craig Berube said after his team’s fourth consecutive loss. “That’s really a lot of the story for me.”

The silver lining to Toronto’s late-season turmoil is the potential to rescue its first-round pick. The Leafs dealt it to the Boston Bruins in March 2025 as part of the trade to acquire defenseman Brandon Carlo. If they finish in the league’s bottom five, though, the Maple Leafs retain the pick and Boston must wait for either their 2027 or 2028 first-round selection depending on their fortunes next season.

Five NHL teams enter Saturday’s action with fewer than 78 points, but the bottom five remains realistic for Toronto as the Seattle Kraken are fifth-worst with 77 points and one additional game to play.

It may well be someone from the Florida Panthers’ front office tasked with retooling the Maple Leafs this offseason, regardless of where that draft pick lands. Panthers assistant general manager Sunny Mehta has emerged as the betting favorite to become Toronto’s next general manager after the recent firing of Brad Treliving.

A slew of injuries has left the Leafs’ lineup decorated with new faces and elevated role players. Forward Luke Haymes made his NHL debut against the Islanders and recorded his first point. Rookie Easton Cowan, who tied the game in the second period, was fourth among Toronto forwards with 18:54 of ice time.

“I like to say ‘work before skill’ a lot of the time. I think (Cowan) has kind of grabbed that side of things,” said Berube, who did not provide an update on injuries to goaltender Anthony Stolarz, forward Dakota Joshua or Carlo. “Easton works and skates. He gets rewarded.”

Player-for-player, though, the Panthers are the substantially more depleted team. Defenseman Seth Jones joined their sprawling list of injury absences after breaking his foot in their Tuesday night loss to Montreal. That list includes Aleksander Barkov, Aaron Ekblad, Brad Marchand, Sam Reinhart and Niko Mikkola. Matthew Tkachuk missed the last two games to be with his wife for the birth of his first child.

Given the circumstances, coach Paul Maurice was empathetic after the Panthers’ 5-1 loss to the Ottawa Senators on Thursday. He had particularly high praise for defensemen Marek Alscher and Ludvig Jansson after their NHL debuts.

“Really, really happy with his game,” Maurice said of Alscher, who logged nearly 20 minutes of ice time. “That’s an awful lot to ask a guy and then to go in with another guy who spent most of his time in the American (Hockey) League.”

Berube and Maurice both indicated they would continue to experiment on Saturday.

Toronto has won two of the teams’ three meetings this season. The Panthers hope to snap their own four-game losing streak. They have allowed 22 goals over the difficult stretch.

–Field Level Media

#Deadspin #Maple #Leafs #Panthers #play #string #youngsters">Deadspin | Maple Leafs, Panthers play out the string with youngsters

Sep 21st, 2025; Ottawa, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Maple Leafs goalie Artur Akhtyamov (70) loses sight of the puck following a shot by Ottawa Senators center Ridly Greig (71) in the third period at the Canadian Tire Centre. Mandatory Credit: Marc DesRosiers-IMAGN Images

The Toronto Maple Leafs will host the Florida Panthers in something of an anticlimactic Saturday night bout.

The reigning Stanley Cup champion Panthers (37-38-4, 78 points) and their 2025 Eastern Conference semifinal victims find themselves at the bottom of the Atlantic Division with three games remaining.

The Maple Leafs (32-33-14, 78 points), who will miss their first postseason since 2016, continued their downward spiral on Thursday night with an ugly 5-3 loss to the New York Islanders. Rookie netminder Artur Akhtyamov faced 44 shots in his first NHL start.

“We had 60 shot attempts or so tonight. Fifteen of them hit the net,” Maple Leafs coach Craig Berube said after his team’s fourth consecutive loss. “That’s really a lot of the story for me.”

The silver lining to Toronto’s late-season turmoil is the potential to rescue its first-round pick. The Leafs dealt it to the Boston Bruins in March 2025 as part of the trade to acquire defenseman Brandon Carlo. If they finish in the league’s bottom five, though, the Maple Leafs retain the pick and Boston must wait for either their 2027 or 2028 first-round selection depending on their fortunes next season.

Five NHL teams enter Saturday’s action with fewer than 78 points, but the bottom five remains realistic for Toronto as the Seattle Kraken are fifth-worst with 77 points and one additional game to play.

It may well be someone from the Florida Panthers’ front office tasked with retooling the Maple Leafs this offseason, regardless of where that draft pick lands. Panthers assistant general manager Sunny Mehta has emerged as the betting favorite to become Toronto’s next general manager after the recent firing of Brad Treliving.

A slew of injuries has left the Leafs’ lineup decorated with new faces and elevated role players. Forward Luke Haymes made his NHL debut against the Islanders and recorded his first point. Rookie Easton Cowan, who tied the game in the second period, was fourth among Toronto forwards with 18:54 of ice time.

“I like to say ‘work before skill’ a lot of the time. I think (Cowan) has kind of grabbed that side of things,” said Berube, who did not provide an update on injuries to goaltender Anthony Stolarz, forward Dakota Joshua or Carlo. “Easton works and skates. He gets rewarded.”

Player-for-player, though, the Panthers are the substantially more depleted team. Defenseman Seth Jones joined their sprawling list of injury absences after breaking his foot in their Tuesday night loss to Montreal. That list includes Aleksander Barkov, Aaron Ekblad, Brad Marchand, Sam Reinhart and Niko Mikkola. Matthew Tkachuk missed the last two games to be with his wife for the birth of his first child.

Given the circumstances, coach Paul Maurice was empathetic after the Panthers’ 5-1 loss to the Ottawa Senators on Thursday. He had particularly high praise for defensemen Marek Alscher and Ludvig Jansson after their NHL debuts.

“Really, really happy with his game,” Maurice said of Alscher, who logged nearly 20 minutes of ice time. “That’s an awful lot to ask a guy and then to go in with another guy who spent most of his time in the American (Hockey) League.”

Berube and Maurice both indicated they would continue to experiment on Saturday.

Toronto has won two of the teams’ three meetings this season. The Panthers hope to snap their own four-game losing streak. They have allowed 22 goals over the difficult stretch.

–Field Level Media

#Deadspin #Maple #Leafs #Panthers #play #string #youngsters

Barcelona’s main goal this season is to win the Champions League but coach Hansi Flick on Friday told his players to focus on this weekend’s La Liga derby against Espanyol.

Atletico Madrid beat Barca 2-0 at Camp Nou in the quarterfinal first leg in midweek, leaving the Catalans with an uphill struggle next Tuesday in the Spanish capital.

League leader Barca hosts local rival Espanyol on Saturday with a seven-point gap to Real Madrid in second.

“The dream for every player, the club, the fans, the coaches is to win the Champions League,” Flick told reporters.

“In every (European) game you see the team is five percent more motivated (above) 100 percent. This is the competition, this is why we are here.

“We have to make our daily job, this is La Liga, but in the end the most important thing is to win the Champions League. This is the goal from my side, the players and the club.”

Five-time Champions League winner Barca last won the trophy in 2015.

The reigning Spanish champion beat Espanyol in January and since then Manolo Gonzalez’s side have failed to win a single match and have fallen to 10th after a strong first half of the season.

“We have a lot of players from La Masia (the club’s youth academy), they know exactly what it means to play against Espanyol,” said Flick.

“It’s a derby, we are playing at home and I want to win it.”

ALSO READ: Bayern starlet Karl ruled out of UEFA Champions League quarterfinal second leg against Real Madrid

The coach indicated that he would “manage minutes” by rotating some players between the two Atletico clashes, but said that “whoever is starting tomorrow will be a fantastic team”.

Flick said that his players will not be distracted by the visit to the Metropolitano Stadium next week.

“This is their job, what they have to do. They are very focussed and ready for tomorrow,” added the German coach.

Published on Apr 10, 2026

#Champions #League #Barcelonas #priority #derby #remains #crucial #Hansi #Flick">

Champions League is Barcelona’s priority, but derby remains crucial: Hansi Flick Barcelona’s main goal this season is to win the Champions League but coach Hansi Flick on Friday told his players to focus on this weekend’s La Liga derby against Espanyol.Atletico Madrid beat Barca 2-0 at Camp Nou in the quarterfinal first leg in midweek, leaving the Catalans with an uphill struggle next Tuesday in the Spanish capital.League leader Barca hosts local rival Espanyol on Saturday with a seven-point gap to Real Madrid in second.“The dream for every player, the club, the fans, the coaches is to win the Champions League,” Flick told reporters.“In every (European) game you see the team is five percent more motivated (above) 100 percent. This is the competition, this is why we are here.“We have to make our daily job, this is La Liga, but in the end the most important thing is to win the Champions League. This is the goal from my side, the players and the club.”Five-time Champions League winner Barca last won the trophy in 2015.The reigning Spanish champion beat Espanyol in January and since then Manolo Gonzalez’s side have failed to win a single match and have fallen to 10th after a strong first half of the season.“We have a lot of players from La Masia (the club’s youth academy), they know exactly what it means to play against Espanyol,” said Flick.“It’s a derby, we are playing at home and I want to win it.”ALSO READ: Bayern starlet Karl ruled out of UEFA Champions League quarterfinal second leg against Real MadridThe coach indicated that he would “manage minutes” by rotating some players between the two Atletico clashes, but said that “whoever is starting tomorrow will be a fantastic team”.Flick said that his players will not be distracted by the visit to the Metropolitano Stadium next week.“This is their job, what they have to do. They are very focussed and ready for tomorrow,” added the German coach.Published on Apr 10, 2026 #Champions #League #Barcelonas #priority #derby #remains #crucial #Hansi #Flick

mwasimuddin125 0

Barcelona’s main goal this season is to win the Champions League but coach Hansi Flick on Friday told his players to focus on this weekend’s La Liga derby against Espanyol.
Atletico Madrid beat Barca 2-0 at Camp Nou in the quarterfinal first leg in midweek, leaving the Catalans with an uphill struggle next Tuesday in the Spanish capital.
League leader Barca hosts local rival Espanyol on Saturday with a seven-point gap to Real Madrid in second.
“The dream for every player, the club, the fans, the coaches is to win the Champions League,” Flick told reporters.
“In every (European) game you see the team is five percent more motivated (above) 100 percent. This is the competition, this is why we are here.
“We have to make our daily job, this is La Liga, but in the end the most important thing is to win the Champions League. This is the goal from my side, the players and the club.”
Five-time Champions League winner Barca last won the trophy in 2015.
The reigning Spanish champion beat Espanyol in January and since then Manolo Gonzalez’s side have failed to win a single match and have fallen to 10th after a strong first half of the season.
“We have a lot of players from La Masia (the club’s youth academy), they know exactly what it means to play against Espanyol,” said Flick.
“It’s a derby, we are playing at home and I want to win it.”
ALSO READ: Bayern starlet Karl ruled out of UEFA Champions League quarterfinal second leg against Real Madrid
The coach indicated that he would “manage minutes” by rotating some players between the two Atletico clashes, but said that “whoever is starting tomorrow will be a fantastic team”.
Flick said that his players will not be distracted by the visit to the Metropolitano Stadium next week.
“This is their job, what they have to do. They are very focussed and ready for tomorrow,” added the German coach.
Published on Apr 10, 2026

#Champions #League #Barcelonas #priority #derby #remains #crucial #Hansi #Flick">Champions League is Barcelona’s priority, but derby remains crucial: Hansi Flick