Barcelona coach Hansi Flick has said his team want to honour the memory of Carles Miñarro in the Champions League against Benfica on Tuesday after the team doctor unexpectedly passed away over the weekend.
Miñarro, 53, died on Saturday, shortly before Barça’s LaLiga game against Osasuna at the Olympic Stadium, which led to the postponement of the fixture.
Barça play their first game since his passing on Tuesday, when they host Benfica in the return match of their round-of-16 tie with a 1-0 lead from the first leg.
“It’s a huge loss,” Flick said in a news conference on Monday. “Carles was a really great person and a great doctor. The combination of him and [doctor] Ricard [Pruna] was unbelievable for the club and a big part of the team’s success.
“We will miss him. I think he will support us from above. We want to play for him. It’s now in the situation very important that we win. This is the focus we want.
“The team is doing well. It’s now our job to continue. This is a very important situation for us, the club, the fans and we want to do well. It’s very important to win.”
Miñarro had joined Barça in 2017 and, after working primarily with the club’s futsal team, joined the first team last summer when Flick was appointed as coach.
Club president Joan Laporta said his passing had left the club “in a state of shock,” with several players working especially closely with him.
In Dani Olmo‘s case, he had known Miñarro for years due to the fact he had been his personal doctor since 2016 having also worked with the Spain international’s dad, Miguel.
“Why Doc?” Miguel, a former player and coach, posted on X. “We have shared some of my best experiences in the game. You have not only been my doctor since 2009, but also Dani’s and other family members’ and friends’.
“You never said ‘No’ to anyone. You improved the quality of life of my parents (infinite thanks), my children, my wife, my siblings, friends … of anyone who asked.
“You loved your job and I know how much it had cost you to get to the top, where you were. I will miss the doctor a lot, but more than anything I will miss my friend, Carles, who was part of the family we created around Dani.
“How incomprehensible and how unfair. So much pain.”
Olmo is expected to be part of the Barça team that face Benfica on Tuesday.
A goal from Raphinha in Lisbon last week sealed a 1-0 win for the Blaugrana, who played most of the game with 10 players after Pau Cubarsí was sent off, but Flick insists his team will not take their lead for granted.
“I see the team very focused,” Flick said when asked if complacency could be a problem.
“No one thinks that it’s done from us. This is the important thing. The team know the right attitude on the pitch is necessary for tomorrow.
“I said after the match in Lisbon, it’s only the first match. Benfica are a really good transition team and we have to take care about that.”
The winners of the tie will meet either Borussia Dortmund or Lille in the quarterfinal.
