Barcelona will face a familiar foe on Wednesday night in the Champions League quarter-finals, a second side in the knockout stages that they have already faced in the league phase.

Borussia Dortmund do have a new manager in Niko Kovač, who replaced Nuri Şahin before the knockout stages.

A manager that Hansi Flick is very familiar with. Niko Kovač was Bayern Munich manager with Flick as his assistant before the latter eventually replaced him, going on to win the treble in 2020 that season.

“It’s something I’ve thought about a lot, I know a lot about Niko, I don’t know if that helps me or not. We know we have to be well-prepared. He’s a great coach, a great person, and it makes me happy to see him back coaching at a top club. But we will be well prepared.”

Dortmund are missing a number of players through injury, and on Monday lost Nico Schlotterbeck. Their star central defender, he has been ruled out for the rest of the season with a torn meniscus.

“They’re a very good team. Niko will be able to field a good lineup. They’re strong defensively, and I wish the injured players all the best, I know Niko well, I send him my best from Barcelona. They have very good players, and it’s a shame, but they have enough players to cover their absences.”

Flick was not planning on making any changes to counter Kovač’s knowledge of him, or Dortmund’s alterations.

“We’re clear about how we want to play and we’ve made some commitments. We want to stay in the Champions League; we have to focus on the things that matter.”