Xavi names four Real Madrid players who pose threat to Barcelona in El Clasico
Xavi Hernandez has warned of the four players Barcelona must be wary of when taking on Real Madrid in El Clasico.
The Spaniard’s side are unbeaten in La Liga this season, winning seven games and drawing three, but are a point behind their great rivals thanks largely to the heroics of Jude Bellingham.
The 20-year-old has been inspired in the early weeks of the season, scoring eight goals in nine La Liga appearances in addition to Champions League goals against Union Berlin, Napoli and Braga, and has been pinpointed by many as the main threat to Barcelona.
But speaking ahead of the game, Xavi was quick to point to Madrid’s other major threats in the attacking third, pointing specifically to the change in system adopted by Carlo Ancelotti this season.
„Madrid have changed from last season, they have a different system after the arrival of Bellingham, who plays with a lot of freedom,“ Xavi told a pre-match press conference.
„They have two forwards in Vinicius [Júnior] and Rodrygo who also have more freedom. They are great at losing their markers and we have to be switched on to that. Bellingham and [Federico] Valverde get forward. Madrid are a great side, they have a lot of strengths which we will have to try and minimise.“
On the importance of the fixture itself, the legendary former midfielder continued: „This game means a lot. It’s the Clasico and every player in the world wants to play in it. We are in good form, in terms of performances and results.
„We have won two games at home this week and it will be a massive morale and confidence boost to win. It’s also vital in terms of our objective in the league this season, which is to win it.“
Barca and Real Madrid both trail surprise table-toppers Girona – their 1-0 win over Celta Vigo on Friday night took them three clear of Carlo Ancelotti’s side – and head into Saturday’s Clasico at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys looking to not only earn early-season bragging rights but also to build momentum ahead of a busy period of fixtures.
Last season’s La Liga meetings between Barcelona and Real Madrid saw each side pick up three points at home, though the latter had the upper hand in their Copa del Rey semi-final clash, cruising to a 4-0 win in the second leg before beating Osasuna in a closely contested final.