SETTABLOID

As FC Barcelona get set to take on Real Madrid in La Liga at the Santiago Bernabeu on Sunday, Los Blancos manager Carlo Ancelotti had words of praise for two Blaugrana talents.

It has been a dream breakthrough season for Lamine Yamal and Pau Cubarsi, both of whom have become permanent fixtures in the starting XI at Barcelona despite being 16 and 17 years old, respectively.

And, Ancelotti spoke about the two young talents ahead of tomorrow’s game, claiming that they had a bright future in the game.

“The connection between veterans and young people is very important. Cubarsi and Yamal are a surprise for everyone, they are very young and are going to have a very successful future,” said Ancelotti.

Yamal has already participated in a couple of El Clasico encounters, having featured as a substitute in La Liga and the Spanish Super Cup final meetings earlier this season.

For Cubarsi, it will be a debut in the senior El Clasico, something that admittedly excites the 17-year-old.

Both players will have key roles to play if Barcelona are to come out on top tomorrow and stand a chance of defending their La Liga title in the final phase of the campaign.

Meanwhile, Ancelotti also spoke about what he expects from Xavi Hernandez’s men tomorrow at the Santiago Bernabeu, as he said:

“It is going to be a very competitive opponent, who are doing very well. We are convinced that it will be a classic as always, it will be very hard fought. It is a great opportunity to get closer to La Liga.

“Barcelona are a very lively team,” he added.

The Catalan giants were in a strong position heading into the second leg after winning the pair’s first encounter 3-2 at the Parc des Princes, and extended their aggregate lead through Raphinha.

But Ronald Araujo’s sending off turned the game on its head, allowing PSG to get back into the tie and eventually turn things around. Kylian Mbappe scored twice as Barcelona were eventually humbled 4-1 on the night.

Barcelona midfielder Ilkay Gundogan was critical of Araujo for getting himself sent off, but Cancelo, on loan from Manchester City, was singled out on social media for what many perceived to be a poor performance.

The 29-year-old has now revealed the extent of the abuse he received online, stating that his partner, daughter and unborn baby were targeted by the posts.

People say all sorts,” Cancelo told ESPN. “There are comments on Instagram wishing death upon my daughter who’s not even been born yet. They would not say it to me face, because we would have a problem, but in the comments they write what they want.

hey’re offensive to my partner, my daughter, our unborn baby. It’s a cruel world and you have to know how to live with it. I know how to, but I just don’t know what to say anymore.

“Wishing death upon a baby is really serious. People don’t think about the person behind the footballer they see on the television. We are humans, too. We are just the same.”

Cancelo admitted to being unable to sleep the night of the game, reflecting on the mistakes that he’d makde in the tie, but said that his and Barcelona’s focus is now on what’s ahead – starting with this Sunday’s Clasico against bitter rivals Real Madrid.

“It has been a really difficult week to be honest. We were excited to go far in the Champions League. I think this club deserves it, but it’s a week we have to leave behind,” the Portuguese continued. “That night [after PSG] I didn’t sleep because I couldn’t. Personally, when I don’t win, I really struggle to sleep because I feel like I didn’t do my job [well], I didn’t do well.

“I am just speaking for myself. It was a strange game. How we lost I think was what stopped me sleeping. I feel 11 vs. 11 we would have been able to win. But we have to keep going.”

Barcelona will take on Real Madrid in perhaps their most important match of the season tomorrow at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Having crashed out of the UEFA Champions League earlier this week, Barcelona have only the La Liga title left to play for.

They are already eight points behind leaders Real Madrid in the table and need a win tomorrow to stand a chance of making a late push for the title.

Ahead of the game, Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez addressed the media, discussing various topics, including the fallout from the club’s defeat to PSG earlier in the week.

“Tomorrow we have the chance to get back into La Liga. It happens to be the most important game of the season. We will find a strong Madrid and even more so after eliminating the best team in the world, City,” said Xavi, kicking things off.

“The euphoria will be sky high and the opposition will be very strong. Today we trained well, yesterday we had a Champions League hangover. The team has all the enthusiasm in the world to fight for this league.”

On what kind of Real Madrid he is expecting to see tomorrow, considering how defensive they were against Manchester City earlier in the week, the Barcelona manager said:

“Madrid had to defend against City, who are the best team in the world today. They had to defend and they defended very well. These are situations that you have to dominate and they also know how to do it.

“In the first half with us, they did well. They have potential, they know how to attack and make transitions.”

Adding that they did discuss about how Real Madrid might come at them tomorrow, Xavi remarked: “We talked about it today, that in the first few minutes of each half, Madrid will press. They are at home. We have to be very brave.

“It’s the perfect stage to show personality. We’ve prepared well for the game, I think we can play well and win. The first few minutes will be key, calming the game and pressing high.”

On Real Madrid’s competitive spirit, Xavi said: “They have won many times, because they are very good. I don’t believe so much in luck. I believe in work, in the team, it’s not by chance. Madrid, in the last three years, have knocked out the best team in the world twice.”

As is the case with almost every press interaction Xavi has, the topic of his future was broached again as he was asked if there was a meeting scheduled with the club to discuss his continuity.

“There is no meeting. I have not been summoned. I am not the important one. Tomorrow we are playing for the title. We have to win. We’re playing for the league,” said Xavi, side-stepping the question.

On whether he saw tomorrow’s game as a final, Xavi replied: “It’s the most important game. We have to win to put pressure on them. If we win, we would be five points behind.”

“They’ve lost one game out of 31, we don’t have bad numbers either. I see it as an opportunity to get closer. We want to compete,” he added.

On whether there will be a crisis if Barcelona lose to Real Madrid, Xavi responded: “I think in a positive scenario, in winning. My thinking is positive. We will go out to win the game.”

Barcelona are aiming to bounce back from Tuesday’s Champions League exit in the best possible way: by defeating bitter rivals Real Madrid in the final Clasico of the season. The two heavyweights meet on Sunday at the Santiago Bernabeu, in a match that could end the La Liga title race.

A defeat would end Barcelona’s chances of retaining the title they won last season, but star striker Robert Lewandowski believes that they can cut the deficit to Real Madrid to five points at the summit, as he told LaLiga World.

“El Clasico is always a special game, not just for us but for all the people in the world. For everyone waiting for this game I hope that we show very offensive football for the fans of the world, and we are ready to win this game.”

ewandowski believes that Barcelona – who are unbeaten in their last 10 league matches – are heading in the right direction, after a massive wobble in the middle of the campaign.

“From one side we respect his [Xavi] decision and now we are focused just for this season because we know it is very important. We have fixed some problems and challenges that we had and the way now is very, very good and we are still fighting, still trying to win every game and we try to do this until the end of the season.”

Lewandowski also spoke on Barcelona’s young guns, who have been the shining light of their season so far. Furthermore, he revealed that he expects to be playing alongside them for the next couple of years, despite being 35.

“It helps me a lot to speak with the younger players, with Lamine, Fermin Lopez, Hector (Fort) as well and Pau (Cubarsi), they are all amazing. I am very happy and feeling very well and also the way that we are going now I think that we have found our way.

“Physically I am feeling very well which means I can play to a high level and I am sure that will be for two years that I am compared with the other players.”

On Sunday night, the Santiago Bernabeu will provide the setting for a feisty encounter between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid with the La Liga title race at stake.

A win for Barcelona would see them cut down the gap to Real Madrid to five points with six games to be played, leaving the title race wide open. A defeat, on the other hand, would all but confirm Los Blancos as winners.

Barcelona go into Sunday’s game on the back of a disappointing loss to PSG in the UEFA Champions League but Xavi must find a way to rally his troops for the Clasico.

One change likely

Leading up to the match, Mundo Deportivo reports that Barcelona manager Xavi will make one key change to the starting lineup that took the field against PSG earlier this week.

As per the report, Andreas Christensen is set to return to the lineup against Real Madrid tomorrow night at the Santiago Bernabeu.

The Danish international missed the second-leg UCL quarterfinal tie against PSG on Tuesday due to suspension and will be reinstated to the team against Carlo Ancelotti’s team.

Still reeling from their defeat to Paris Saint Germain which saw them get eliminated from the UEFA Champions League, FC Barcelona already have another high-stakes match awaiting them on Sunday. The Catalans will be facing their traditional rivals, Real Madrid, at the Santiago Bernabeu.

FC Barcelona had one of their most disappointing matches against Paris Saint Germain in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals in which they crashed out of the competition because of the 6-4 aggregate win for the French side.

Thus, the Uruguayan has received most of the criticism for the team’s elimination from the competition. However, he was not the only player who left a lot to be desired with his performance. Another player who was well below his expected standards on the night was Joao Cancelo, whose errors also led to two goals against Barcelona.

As a result, the fanbase has not been kind to the Portuguese international after the match, but as the player himself disclosed, things have gone a bit too far this time. As SPORT has reported, the fullback mentioned how he has been receiving threats and even his family has not been spared as he talked to ESPN:

They offend my wife, my unborn daughter, my baby. Today the world is cruel, and you have to know how to live with that. Wishing death upon a baby is a very serious matter. They can criticize me as a player, as Ferdinand did, but they shouldn’t talk about my family. They should talk about me as a player, not as a person.”

Threats and bad wishes for someone’s family and welfare beyond the pitch are simply unacceptable, and this is a line that should never be crossed. But beyond that, Cancelo agreed that he did not had a good match, and deserved the criticism that was coming his way:

“It was a strange game, and how we lost was what kept me awake. The way we lost. I feel like eleven against eleven we could have won.”

It is good to see a player accepting his mistake and hopefully, Cancelo will be able to move on from that forgettable night and get back to his best this week as Barcelona face their fiercest rivals Real Madrid in a match that can decide the current La Liga season.

Barcelona will lock horns with Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium this Sunday as they look to earn all three points on the road in La Liga. The Catalan club suffered a 4-1 loss at the hands of Paris Saint-Germain recently, so they would be eager to get back to winning ways this weekend.

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%.”

Beyond just the harsh defeat in the Champions League as a group, Barcelona also struggle individually. The collective loss to Paris Saint-Germain may not have been the doing of any one player, but many seem to think so. Most fingers would simply like to point towards a certain Uruguayan defender at Barcelona.

In the early stages of the game itself, with Barcelona cruising with a two-goal cushion, something went horribly wrong. Barcelona third captain Ronald Araujo charged in on PSG forward Barcola and took him down right outside the Barça box as the last man. All that fans and players on the field saw next was a flash of red and Araujo was asked to leave the field.

With their star defender out, Barcelona struggled from start to finish. PSG took notice and made sure that Barça were punished for the one thing that they were not supposed to do. Ultimately, the 1-4 defeat at home was quite disappointing for Barcelona against the Parisians and Araujo has seen a lot of complaints go his way.

However, football has offered him his chance of redemption and it comes in the form of an away game at the Santiago Bernabeu. Against Real Madrid, as highlighted by SPORT, Araujo has a chance to make amends and prove to Barcelona that he is still the man they can count on for the future.

The El Clasico, irrespective of its long-term impact in any given season, is a fight for honor and prestige. Both Barcelona and Real Madrid treat this as a sacred encounter, and one that both sides always give it their all to win. Whether it be as a friendly or as part of an official competition, this clash always delivers.

However, even Ronald Araujo will need to deliver as well this time. The players from Barcelona are determined to redeem themselves, and perhaps no player needs to do it more than the Uruguayan defender himself. As always, the clash will see him be put up against some of the most dangerous attackers in the world.

Vinicius Jr, for instance, will likely be the Uruguayan’s direct competition again. Usually, Barcelona have to put Araujo as a right-back to ensure that the Brazilian from Real Madrid is limited, but since Los Blancos have started to count on him more centrally, the Barcelona defender may just get to compete against him in his natural position as a central defender.