Barcelona captain confident heading into Real Madrid encounter – ‘Biggest rivalry in football’

Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong has expressed optimism ahead of Saturday’s crucial El Clasico, following the team’s impressive victory against Bayern Munich.

In an exclusive interview with beIN SPORTS, the Dutch international shared his thoughts on both matches and his recent return from injury.

Reflecting on the triumph against Bayern Munich earlier this week, De Jong was notably upbeat, as he said:

“It was a fantastic win against a great club, so we’re happy. I think it was a big test for us because it was against one of the best teams in Europe, so this victory gives us confidence and belief to continue this way.”

It was in a Clasico back in April that De Jong suffered an ankle injury, sidelining him for more than five months. Now back in action, De Jong gave a measured response about his long road to recovery heading into Saturday’s clash against Real Madrid.

“I’m happy to be back. I feel stronger every week now. It’s been a long process, but I’m very excited for Saturday’s match,” he shared.

When pressed about his match fitness and his readiness to start a match, the Barcelona midfielder acknowledged the complexity of his situation, saying:

“I know I’ve been out for a long time. I’ve just returned to playing a bit, but this won’t depend only on me and how I feel, but also on the coach’s decision.”

He added: “As I said, I feel better every week. I feel I’m getting back to where I was physically. But this needs minutes, matches, and training. It’s just about playing lots of football, and then I’ll be back to my best.”

The midfielder shared his perspective on the upcoming Clasico’s significance, more so with both teams battling it out at the top of the table, as he said:

“I think Clasico matches are always exciting, but they’re even more thrilling when we’re close to each other and fighting for first place.”

Addressing Real Madrid’s current form, he noted: “I think Madrid are a fantastic team. They’re one of the best teams in the world. They have very good players as a team. We’re also a fantastic team. We’re doing well. So, I think the match will be really exciting.”

When asked about containing Vinicius Jr, and how Barcelona intend to stop him, De Jong emphasised the need for a collective approach.

“We’ll see, we’ll see. We need to stop him as a team, but he’s a fantastic player. He’s performing really well. Last season he had an amazing season. This season so far he’s performing brilliantly,” said the Barcelona captain.

“I think he’s a world-class player with high quality. We need to be careful with him, but they have many other fantastic players.”

De Jong also praised new manager Hansi Flick’s impact since taking over the reins at Barcelona this past summer.

“I don’t know if he’s changed it, but he’s doing well so far. I love the style and I love the training sessions,” said the Netherlands international.

“I think he gives a lot of confidence to the team and players individually. That’s good, and so far the results are good too. Everything is going very well so far,” he added.

Real Madrid are just a game away from equalling the longest unbeaten record in La Liga – a record held by Barcelona.

When asked if stopping their rivals from achieving that milestone motivated him, De Jong remained focused on the bigger picture, saying:

“No, the motivation is always there to win against Madrid. I don’t think this gives extra motivation. The motivation will always be there.”

He added: “Of course, we want to keep the record and we want to win, but even if the record didn’t exist, we would want to win.”

Concluding with his thoughts on achieving success at the Santiago Bernabeu, De Jong emphasised the need for sustained concentration, as he said:

“We need to be at our best in every aspect because Madrid are a fantastic team, so you need to be focused for 90 minutes.

“You can’t relax against them because they can score two or three goals in a short period as we all saw against Dortmund, for example, a few days ago. So we need to be focused and at our best for the full 90 minutes.”

The Barcelona midfielder wrapped up by underlining the match’s importance: “It’s very important. It’s El Clasico, it’s a historic match, it’s the biggest rivalry in football for me. Now it’s also about who will be first in the league, so it’s a very exciting match.”