“We know what Madrid are like, they are more dangerous when they are wounded,” said Valverde at a press conference on the eve of the game.
His opposite number Julen Lopetegui is under enormous pressure ahead of the match, with Real having taken just one point from their last four games in La Liga.
Madrid ended a five-match winless run in all competitions by beating Viktoria Plzen 2-1 in the Champions League in midweek, but that unconvincing performance may have only delayed the inevitable for Lopetegui.
Defeat at the Camp Nou and Real would be seven points behind their great rivals at the top of the table.
What I’ve learned about this club is to fight – Lopetegui
Conversely, though, a win may just buy Lopetegui some time, and Barcelona do come into the game without Messi after he suffered a fractured arm against Sevilla last weekend.
Valverde has not forgotten the promise…
Read More…..Vanguard Newspaper
