The much-awaited El Classico is almost upon us. Despite the two footballing greats having left their former clubs, the Real Madrid vs Barcelona match still hoards the same limelight as before. In what is going to be a feast for fans’ eyes, the two Spanish teams are going to clash again on October 16th at the Santiago Bernabeu.
It looks like not just the fans but even the players and certainly the coach is excited about the upcoming match. In a recent press conference Barcelona’s head coach when asked if the fixture made him “cachondo”- Spanish for ‘riled up” or “horny”, he said, “I don’t know if it makes me horny, I don’t know if that’s the word,” he replied. “But I like to play against Real Madrid. I’m competitive. I’d like to still be a footballer to play in these types of matches.”
He goes on to explain the feeling using Inter- Barcelona match as an example wherein he said, “Like the day against Inter. It’s in these games where you stand up and also as a coach. It’s spectacular to play a game like this. Motivation is at its highest, it’s an opportunity to extend the leader in the competition”.
We’re on the right track- Xavi
Xavi also touched upon their disappointing defeat in the Champions League and said that he is more focused on La Liga now.
“It’s vital for us and for Real Madrid. Let’s see who comes out on top. But the project is still under construction. The slump in the Champions League annoys us, but we’re on the right track. We’re in a great situation in La Liga. In Europe, the outlook isn’t good, but the project is under construction and it can’t be destroyed now.”
The former Barcelona coach has termed this El Classico as unexpected and believes the game could go either way.
“Honestly, it’s unpredictable,” he said. “I think it is the match where the dynamics affect you the least because you are so focused on El Clasico. Last year we showed as much. We arrived at the Clasico in a bad moment and it went well. We will see how it goes tomorrow. We will try to compete and take the three points. But honestly, it is unpredictable.”
Real Madrid host Barcelona at 7:45 PM IST on October 16th.
