Hansi Flick insists he is "100%" motivated to lead Barcelona to a third-straight LaLiga title and follow in the footsteps of Pep Guardiola and Johan Cruyff. 

Flick has enjoyed a dream two years so far with Barcelona, claiming back-to-back top-flight crowns while also winning the Copa del Rey once and the Supercopa de Espana twice. 

The 61-year-old has already put pen to paper on a new contract with the Blaugrana, keeping him with the LaLiga giants until June 2028 as he eyes more silverware. 

Among Barcelona coaches to have managed at least five games, only Tito Vilanova (2.84) and Guardiola (2.45) have averaged more points per game in LaLiga than Flick (2.43). 

However, in the club's history, only two managers have won three consecutive LaLiga titles. Cruyff won four in a row between 1990-91 and 1993-94, while Guardiola produced a three-peat from 2008-09 to 2010-11. 

And Flick wants to emulate the two greats, telling reporters: "I'm one hundred percent motivated to win the third. We have to play our best football, but it's the big objective.

"We will give everything to achieve it. Other clubs will also want to win LaLiga, but it's our goal."

Flick's comments came after former Barcelona boss Guardiola announced he would be leaving Manchester City at the end of the season after a trophy-laden decade at the club. 

Guardiola, who left Barcelona in 2012 before joining Bayern Munich a year later, confirmed his decision on Friday ahead of City's final game of the 2025-26 campaign. 

The Spaniard departs the Citizens as one of the most successful managers in Premier League history, having delivered six titles in just 10 seasons.

He will leave City having overseen 592 games in all competitions. Among his current tally, Guardiola boasts 416 wins (70.3% win rate) and has seen his team score 1,422 goals. 

Guardiola won 20 trophies with City in total, which includes their maiden Champions League triumph in 2022-23, but when asked whether he would be keen to spend 10 years with Barcelona, Flick insisted that was not going to happen. 

"10 years me here? I don't think so. At 70 years old, it wouldn't be good if I were here. Pep is incredible, 10 years at that level," Flick added.

"Pep is the best coach in the world. He has shown it year after year. Even when things were not going well, he knew how to manage the situation.

"He always finds a solution to improve, as can be seen in the titles he has achieved. It's exceptional. I wish him rest, but I hope he comes back because he is young."

But Flick will be hoping to end Barcelona's domestic campaign on a high when his team make the trip to take on Valencia, who have an outside chance of qualifying for Europe. 

Valencia are ninth and two points behind Getafe, who occupy the place for the Conference League qualifiers, but they may not fancy their chances against not only the champions, but against Flick too. 

That is because Flick has won all three of his LaLiga matches against Valencia. He has only faced Athletic Club, Espanyol and Mallorca (four wins out of four) more often while maintaining a 100% win rate. 

However, the Barcelona boss will be without Fermin Lopez, who underwent successful surgery on a fractured foot after making 48 appearances in all competitions, for the Blaugrana, registering 13 goals as well as a joint-team-high number of assists (17, level with Lamine Yamal). 

"It's very hard. He has played an outstanding season. It hurts him and us," Flick said of Fermin. 

"We expected him to play in the World Cup, it's the dream of any player, to be with Spain. Life is like that. He will have to continue working.

"We support him and I'm sure he'll come back stronger."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Valencia – Hugo Duro 

Duro has scored three goals in nine LaLiga appearances against Barcelona, and he will be out to get on the scoresheet once again here.

In total, he has netted 30% of his top-flight goals (13/43) against the competition's three biggest clubs in Atletico Madrid (five), Real Madrid (five) and the Blaugrana (three).

Barcelona – Robert Lewandowski

In what will be his final appearance for Barcelona, Lewandowski will be hoping to bow out on a high against an opponent he has often thrived against during his time in Spain. 

Lewandowski has scored nine goals in six LaLiga appearances against Valencia, his highest tally against any single opponent in his career in the competition.

MATCH PREDICTION: BARCELONA WIN

Barcelona have lost just one of their last 18 LaLiga visits to Estadio de Mestalla against Valencia (W9 D8), a 2-0 defeat in January 2020 under Quique Setien and Albert Celades. They have won four of their last five such trips (D1), though. 

The Blaugrana have also won their last four top-flight meetings with Valencia, scoring at least six goals in each of the last two (13 in total). This is the first time they have recorded back-to-back wins while scoring at least six goals against the same opponent in the competition since 1960 against Las Palmas (16 goals).

And despite missing out on becoming centurions, Barcelona could reach 97 points with a win here. In the three-points-for-a-win era, they have only managed more in 2012-13 under Tito Vilanova (100) and 99 under Pep Guardiola in 2009-10. 

Valencia, meanwhile, are unbeaten in their last three LaLiga matches (W2 D1) and could equal their longest unbeaten run in the competition this season, set between November and December 2025 (W1 D3).

However, they have failed to win any of their last 11 league matches against Barcelona (D2 L9), their second-longest winless run against the Blaugrana in the competition's history, behind a 13-game streak between 2007 and 2013 (D4 L9).

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Valencia – 28.3%

Draw – 23.6%

Barcelona – 48.1%