Busquets thinks Barça are “on the right track”
Ahead of Sunday’s El Clásico derby, the Barcelona team captain Sergio Busquets analyzes their chances at the “biggest game of the year”.
The Catalan giants are heading to the capital this Sunday for the first El Clásico of the season. Barcelona is currently at the top of the table, but Madrid is not far behind at second.
“As far as I’m concerned, El Clásico is the biggest game of the year on the world stage because of the repercussions it has and the media attention it gets,” said Barcelona team captain Sergio Busquets. “The whole world stops for this game.”
He is right that El Clásico games are the most anticipated and most watched in soccer. No pressure. Busquets welcomes the adrenaline of it all, though, and says the energy and excitement is overwhelming.
Both teams are undefeated with seven wins and one tie, but Madrid may be coming into the game with a bit more confidence after they squeaked out a win against Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League. Meanwhile, Barcelona is coming off a 3-3 tie with Inter Milan, threatening their hopes of a Champions League. There’s a lot on the line for Barça - if they lose one more game or Inter Milan win one, then they will drop down to the Europa League for the second year in a row.
Even still, Busquets feels confident heading into this weekend’s El Clásico at the Bernabeu. The Barça captain was realistic about what they need to do to get a victory against a Real Madrid team that knows how to make the most of their opportunities.
“We’ll go out and play our game, try and win possession as soon as we can, control the ball, play out from the back, and do our best to overwhelm our opponents in their own half,” said Busquets. “Madrid on the other hand, don’t need so much possession of the ball. They make a lot of chances without necessarily dominating the game so much. They’re very strong at both ends of the field and for me, that’s the strongest aspect of their game in general.”
“We’ve got to go all out for the title, but be aware of where we come from at the same time. We’ve got to keep on progressing, keep competing. I think that’s what we’re doing. We’re on the right track and I think we’re going all the way.”