Barcelona take on Real Madrid in yet another exciting El Clasico fixture with the capital city side firmly in pole position to claim the La Liga title with a lead of 8 points over second-placed Barcelona.
Madrid will come into the tie brimming with confidence after they ousted UCL holders Manchester City from the elite European competition midweek, and Barcelona head coach Xavi acknowledged the quality in Carlo Ancelotti’s side.
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“When you have won so many times you play with more calm, less desperation, more confidence, they are a very good team,” Xavi told a news conference on Saturday.
Xavi went on to laud the effort the Spanish heavyweights demonstrated to get the better of Pep Guariola’s English champions.
“In the end, people say it’s luck, I don’t believe much in luck — I think it’s effort, defensive work, the solidarity they showed, everyone working so hard,” Xavi continued.
“The three up front worked harder than ever, Man City missed some clear chances but that’s football, it’s not luck that Madrid have knocked out the best team in the world twice in three years,” the Barcelona coach iterated.
However, the coach of the Catalan club expressed that the Clasico was a great opportunity for the Blaugrana to pile pressure on the table toppers.
“For us it’s the most important game of the season, we have to win to put pressure on the leader,” he added.
“We have enormous respect for Real Madrid, they’ve lost just one game out of 31, and their numbers are extraordinary,” he explained.
“We don’t have bad numbers in La Liga, we’ve got four points less than when we were leaders last season (at this stage).”
Real Madrid manager Ancelotti shared his thoughts ahead of the heavyweight clash stating that the fixture gives them a chance to inch closer to the La Liga crown but said it wouldn’t be a cakewalk as Barcelona are a competitive side.
“It’s a great chance for us to get closer to winning La Liga, but we know it’s hard because Barcelona are a very competitive side,” the Italian said.
“We are very close if we are capable of winning. It will be the usual Clasico, a hard-fought, equal game,” the 64-year-old opined.
“The cake is prepared and we have to put the cherry on top this month. We’re very well positioned,” Ancelotti signed off.
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