Sunday will see FC Barcelona lock horns with their eternal rivals Real Madrid in a must-win La Liga match away at the Santiago Bernabeu.
It will be a special occasion for a certain Pau Cubarsi as he will be making his El Clasico debut, with the 17-year-old all but certain to start at the heart of the Blaugrana defence against Madrid.
And Cubarsi admitted that he has dreamt of playing these kinds of matches for Barça and that he and the team would be ready to give ‘200%’ on the night, especially given that the La Liga title race will be at stake.
“As a child, I always dreamed of playing these games, because they are special with the club of my life and also in this case these three points will be very important,” he said.
Cubarsi admitted that the Blaugrana must approach the Clasico as the biggest game of the season, saying:
“It must be approached as the most important game of the season.”
It will determine the course of the league. We must go strong and give 200% in the match and try to achieve a positive result,” the teenager added.
Following the defeat to PSG earlier in the week, Cubarsi stressed that it was critical that Barcelona fully focus on Sunday’s clash and give their everything at the Bernabeu, saying:
“We are coming from a strong shake-up in the Champions League, but we must shift the focus to the league, which is the only tournament left for us. We’ll give everything to win at the Bernabeu.”
Stressing the importance of getting a win against Real Madrid, Cubarsi added: “Getting within five points would create insecurity for the rival. If they fail and we win, we’ll get closer and closer.”
Summing up how he feels about playing for Barcelona at such a young age, Cubarsi remarked: “I feel pride and satisfaction with the work I have done all these years. I want to be myself and help the team if I have the opportunity to play and always give 200%.”
