Livakovic started for Croatia against England last Thursday at Wembley, a match that ended in a 2-1 win for the English. He is set to keep goal for his country again against the Czech Republic this evening, in the UEFA Nations League, as he continues to chase the playing minutes he is missing at Barcelona.
The 31-year-old joined Barcelona from Turkey's Fenerbahce for two million euros at the end of the summer transfer window, after the Catalan club decided to bolster their options between the posts. Yet he has worn the shirt only once: the clash with Sevilla that finished 3-1 to Barcelona on 19 September, when Joan Garcia's injury opened the door.
Speaking from the Croatia camp, Livakovic reflected on his move to one of the biggest clubs in the world and made no secret of his pride. "I am a lad from Zadar, I play for Barcelona, and I am very proud of that. I have already had the chance to defend the goal of such a big club. I am training at the moment, waiting for my chance, and I feel I am in good form."
His contract runs for four seasons until the summer of 2030. But Livakovic knows the fight for minutes will be brutal, with Joan Garcia, Poland's Wojciech Szczesny and Iker Rodriguez all ahead of or alongside him. That leaves him with little choice: keep working and wait for any chance to force his way into Flick's thinking.
On the intensity of training inside the Catalan club, in comments reported by the newspaper "Mundo Deportivo", the goalkeeper added: "Training at Barcelona is extremely hard, because we are talking about the best players in the world. It would be ideal for me to be the goalkeeper in every match, but I am waiting for my chance patiently." The message is clear. He accepts where he stands and intends to seize whatever comes his way.
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Help could arrive in the Copa del Rey. Forecasts suggest Livakovic will return between the posts for the round of 32 tie scheduled for 15 or 16 December, a single fixture against a lower-ranked opponent who is yet to be confirmed.
That run offers the Croatian a real chance to rebuild his standing at the club. The competition gives Flick room to rotate and hand minutes to players starved of them in La Liga, and Livakovic will be desperate to prove he deserves more.
Croatia coach Slaven Bilic, for his part, made no secret of wanting to see his goalkeeper playing far more often in Catalonia. "It would be great to see Livakovic playing regularly for Barcelona. He is a very good goalkeeper," he said. The route to that remains the same: wait for the right moment and convince Flick.