Flick frustrated by Dro speculation ahead of Barca's trip to Real Sociedad

Hansi Flick suggested Dro Fernandez may be being influenced by his agent amid surprising reports the promising Barcelona prospect wants to leave.

The Barcelona boss addressed Dro's future in his pre-match press conference before Sunday's trip to Real Sociedad, when the Blaugrana will hope to make it 10 straight LaLiga victories.

Barca could also move four points clear of second-placed Real Madrid with a win, though the line of questioning before the fixture centred around Dro.

The 18-year-old has appeared five times for the senior side this season, but reports suggest Dro wants to leave this month by not renewing his youth contract and exercising his current €6m release clause.

A host of Europe's elite clubs are said to be on high alert to sign the Barcelona prospect, with Paris Saint-Germain chief among them, and Flick suggested Dro's desire to move has been influenced by those advising him.

"We’re in the world of football, and sometimes things happen. You may not agree with what someone does, but they’re adults," Flick said when asked about Dro.

"There are people around them who might be inciting them. I don’t want to answer this question because, as a coach, what I do is give the players confidence.

"You try to believe in them so they can grow. I also know there are people around them. I want to wait until this is all in the past. If they decide to change clubs, then we’ll deal with it. Now is not the time."

Flick also says performances in training and on the pitch will see Barcelona players earn their starting spot.

"For me, it’s about training every day. I have a lot of experience in this area. It’s about helping them see their potential," he added.

"These are areas where we can help them. As I said before, they’re on one of the best teams in the world; it’s not easy to get playing time.

"But in the end, after every training session, it makes you better. That’s what I see in every session. That’s the process. When a player does things well and deserves to play, he plays.”

La Real are unbeaten in their last five games across all competitions, and Flick – who appeared relieved to talk about the upcoming fixture – urged Barcelona to prove their title credentials by ending that run.

“I’ve noticed they’re more confident now after the two wins and the draw," Flick continued.

"I know Real Sociedad’s coach well; we live near each other in Germany. It will be a tough match. They have fantastic players. We want to win La Liga, and to do that, we have to win tomorrow.”

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Real Sociedad – Mikel Oyarzabal

Barcelona's players will be familiar with Mikel Oyarzabal, given his prowess on the international stage with Spain.

He will be looking to add to the five goals and three assists accumulated this campaign, but Oyarzabal has not scored in LaLiga since early November.

Barcelona – Ferran Torres

Ferran Torres has scored 11 goals in 18 games in this season's competition, his best return in a single league campaign across his time in Spain and in the Premier League.

His tally is also the most by a Spanish player for Barcelona in a single top-flight season since Pedro in 2013-14 (15 goals in 37 appearances).

MATCH PREDICTION: BARCELONA WIN

Barcelona are the strong favourites for this contest, according to Opta's live win predictor, which has the visitors coming out on top in over half of its 10,000 pre-match simulations.

However, La Real have won two of their last six LaLiga matches against Barca (L4), having secured only one victory in their previous 16 encounters against them in the competition (W1 D2 L13).

Flick's side lost their most recent visit to Sunday's hosts 1-0 in November 2024, though they have picked up points in eight of their last nine away games against La Real in the top flight (W6 D2 L1).

Barca also make the trip in fine form after winning their last nine games in LaLiga, the best current run of any team in Europe's big five leagues.

The Blaugrana have not won 10 consecutive games in a single season in the competition since March 2016 under Luis Enrique (12), but the home side's recent struggles leave that as a real possibility.

La Real have not won any of their last three home games in the competition (D1 L2), their longest such run within a single season since February 2024 under Imanol Alguacil (five games).

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Real Sociedad – 21.3%
Draw – 21.8%
Barcelona – 57%