FC Barcelona’s January signing Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is set to make his Clasico debut on Sunday when the Catalans travel to Real Madrid for La Liga’s marquee clash.
Real will host their bitter rivals with the opportunity to strengthen their hold on the title race. With 66 points from 28 games, Carlo Ancelotti’s side have a 10-point advantage over second-placed Sevilla and are 15 ahead of Barca in third.
“The Clasico is the biggest match in the world. I think it means a lot for everyone at the club. There is tension and feeling that it’s something special. And this is what we like. This is a Clasico. I expect it will be tough on Sunday,” Auba, as he is fondly called, said.
Auba said even though Real have a good side he is thinking only about his own team. “They are at the top, but to tell the truth I am looking at ourselves. We have to keep going and have trust in our team,” the Gabon captain, who scored Barcelona’s winner in the Europa League quarter final against Galatasaray on Thursday, said.
Real striker Karim Benzema will miss the match at the Santiago Bernabeu after suffering a calf injury.
Benzema, La Liga’s top scorer, was absent from Real’s
Saturday training session in Madrid and is likely to focus on getting fit for next month’s Champions League quarter-final matches against Chelsea. The striker was injured after grabbing an assist and two late goals as Real defeated Mallorca 3-0 on Monday.
The club said defender Ferland Mendy would also miss the next two weeks with a hamstring injury but forward Rodrygo, who suffered an injury against Mallorca, should be available for Sunday.
With 11 matches to play, they are on a high and have a La Liga-European Cup double in their sights.
But Ancelotti said he was wary of Barca’s current form, on a four-game winning streak and playing with a lot of confidence.
“I believe coach Xavi Hernandez is doing a great job,” Ancelotti said.
“You can see that Barca’s identity is there and didn’t change. It is a team with a very clear style and Xavi embodies it perfectly. Barcelona have improved a lot, they are in a dynamic form.”
Stalemate
Striker Enes Unal scored his 14th goal in the league to help 10-man Getafe draw at Athletic Bilbao 1-1.
Unal is enjoying a breakout season. The Turk had never scored more than six league goals in his previous four seasons with different teams in Spain.
The 24-year-old struck three minutes into the match at San Mames Stadium when he jumped higher than Bilbao defender Mikel Vesga and headed Djene Dakonam’s cross past Spain keeper Unai Simon.
Bilbao left back Yuri Berchiche equalised in the 29th after he exchanged quick passes with Inaki Williams and blasted the ball past David Soria.
Soria, however, made several saves to salvage a point for Getafe.
