Barcelona coach Hansi Flick insists his team can cope with an increased workload and that he will make no excuses despite having to deal with a lengthy injury list but has joined a growing list of high-profile footballing names calling on UEFA and FIFA to make alterations to a packed schedule.

Over the last few years, there has been a trend of stars moving to Barcelona with high expectations that they couldn’t meet. Many players didn’t manage to click at the Catalan club, whether

Barcelona midfielders Fermin Lopez, Dani Olmo, Gavi, Frenkie de Jong and Marc Bernal, and defensive pair Ronald Araujo and Andreas Christensen are sidelined with injury