ISTANBUL: Barcelona coach Hansi Flick said he would be happy with a single goal victory at Galatasaray in the Champions League on Tuesday as his team face one of the world’s ‘best atmospheres’.

The Catalan giants have won all nine games they have played this season across all competitions, scoring 39 goals, more than four a game on average.

However the visit to face Turkish champions Galatasaray in Istanbul is the first in a string of tougher fixtures for Barcelona, with Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid also coming up.

The Spanish champions thrashed Feyenoord 5-1 in their league phase opener but will be without Raphinha for the visit to Turkiye and one of the game’s most intimidating environments.

“First of all, we have to be ready for this atmosphere,” Flick told reporters Monday. “I think this is one of the best atmospheres ever in the world. It’s amazing when I hear some situations or the sounds of the stadium, what the fans are doing, it’s unbelievable.

“They support their team. You also can see the results against big teams, they are playing like a big team against them, they’ve improved a lot.”

Not since Barcelona’s 2-0 win over Athletic Bilbao in La Liga on Aug 27 have the Catalans been restricted to fewer than three goals.

However Flick said just one would do at Galatasaray’s hostile Rams Park stadium, which has sometimes been nicknamed “Hell”.

“The only thing we want is to win, this is our goal, this is what we want,” said Flick.

“I’m also happy if we win just 1-0, because to see this team, how they play, how they play out (from the back), they like to play football.

“In attack they have fantastic players, so it’s not easy to play against Galatasaray, especially at home.”

ARSENAL SUFFER DOUBLE INJURY SETBACK

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said he had never known a similar situation in his seven years at the club after Piero Hincapie and Martin Zubimendi were injured in a post-match training session after their Premier League win over Leeds United.

Hincapie, 24, came on in the 82nd minute as Arsenal won 2-1 against Leeds on Saturday, while Zubimendi, 27, was an unused substitute. Both players are now doubts for Arsenal’s Champions League clash against Lille on Tuesday.

“It’s never happened in seven years I’ve been here. It could happen in the training session the next day,” Arteta told reporters on Monday. “It’s happened now and hopefully it doesn’t happen again, but what can you do?”

The Spaniard said the pair were injured during an additional session arranged for players who did not get enough minutes against Leeds.

“We had a training session planned after the match for everyone that didn’t get enough minutes, and in two unfortunate actions we lost two players,” he said.

“They’ll have further scans to see where they are and we’ll have that time frame for how long they are going to be out for.”

Arteta said the extra work was necessary to ensure squad players were ready when called upon.

“If they never train, they don’t get injured. The consequence of that is when you ask them to play they have no rhythm and no impact in the game,” he said.

Hincapie has made three Premier League appearances off the bench this season but started Arsenal’s Champions League win over Napoli last month. Zubimendi has also largely featured as a substitute, making five league appearances from the bench this campaign.

SIMEONE ENCOURAGES ALVAREZ

Another Spanish outfit will be in action on Tuesday as Atletico Madrid host Manchester United and Rojiblancos coach Diego Simeone encouraged goalless striker Julian Alvarez to keep improving ahead of the team’s clash.

The Premier League giants visit the Spanish capital looking to build on an opening day rout of Sabah — who face Slavia Prague on Tuesday — while Atletico lost their first league phase game at Liverpool.“I think strikers with Julian’s characteristics always need goals, not just him,” Simeone told reporters on Monday.

“It’s true that beyond his finishing, he’s a team player, a player that can link very well, he can assist, and he’s got many more tools than just goalscoring.”

The Champions League final in June will be played at Atletico’s Metropolitano stadium, although Simeone said he was not thinking about that.

“Reality is the day to day, game by game,” said the coach.

Atletico have won their last four games, while by contrast opponents United have struggled and are winless in four across all competitions, since beating Sabah.

Michael Carrick’s side have endured their worst start to a Premier League season in 40 years.

“The game will be long, it will be tough, and we have to manage our efforts to compete well,” insisted Simeone.

In Tuesday’s other fixtures, Ital­ian champions Inter Milan host Belgian side Club Brugge, while German powerhouse Bayern Munich will travel to Norway as they face Champions League debutants Viking.

RB Leipzig will entertain PSV Eindhoven while Napoli lock horns with Villarreal.

Published in Dawn, October 13th, 2026