Barcelona travel to Real Madrid this weekend in the most anticipated match of the season so far and midfielder Xavi Hernandez hopes that Jose Mourinho’s side offer a more offensive style of play to the one they showed in a number of matches against Barcelona last season. He told the club’s website, “Last year I was critical of the way Real Madrid set up against us, but I suppose that this time, based on what we saw in the Super Cup, they want to play toe-to-toe and, unlike last season, pressure us high up the field.” The Spanish international will amazingly play his 13th league match at the Bernabeu and believes that victory on Saturday could turn Barca’s season around: “It’s always nice to win at the Bernabeu and even more so looking at the table. It would be a turning point for us.”
Real Madrid equalled a club record with their 15th consecutive victory over Ajax on Wednesday night. Afterwards Jose Mourinho acknowledged that Madrid were a better side than in his first year at the club, but warned that was no guarantee of beating champions Barcelona on Saturday. He told the club’s website, “I’m very happy with my team. It is the first time Real Madrid have won their six games in the group stage. We’ve only lost one clash in 18, and that defeat happened under strange circumstances. We’re seeded and await the draw, after which we’ll be able to forget about the Champions League for a couple of months. If memory serves me well last season we lost to Barcelona after facing Ajax. You never know in football; there are always surprises, but right now we feel more confident and tighter. We are a better team than last season.”
Spanish Primera Division: Real Madrid vs Barcelona
Match date: 10 December, 2011
Kick Off Time: 21:00 GMT
Venue: Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
