On the eve of the first Clasico de Liga against Real Madrid on Sunday (4:15 p.m.) on the occasion of Matchday 10, FC Barcelona coach Ronald Koeman admitted at a press conference to be under pressure, but encouraged his young players to “
Play without fear. I cannot have more pressure than what I am already going through. Being a Barça coach, you have to go through this, and I know the importance of this match. As a player, clasicos, I won and I lost, but you always have to keep the positive aspect, and take advantage,
”said the Dutchman on Saturday at a pre-match press conference. “
It will be my first Clasico as a coach with a crowd, and it will be different. We have to keep our enthusiasm for this match
”,he continued.
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Currently seventh in La Liga (15 pts) two points behind Real Madrid and five points behind the leader, Real Sociedad (20 points with one more match), Barça will have to approach this match "
without fear
", according to Koeman. “
Both teams are playing big. A lot can happen. It's not a decisive Clasico, but if we win, we can get past them. (...) We play at home, we will have our audience with us. You have to play without fear. I am not afraid. We want to prove once again that we have a good team,
”assured the Dutch technician. “
Winning would give us a lot of confidence, with all the changes we are making, all the young people who are launched. This is not an exam, but a Clasico that we want to win
”, Koeman said.
His advice to young players who will play their first Clasico is to “
play
”, quite simply: “
there are enough experienced players who have played a lot of Clasico and who can help them.
You just have to enjoy the atmosphere and play with personality,
”Koeman advised.
The Blaugranas coach confirmed that Jordi Alba, embarrassed by pain after the game against Dynamo Kiev in the Champions League on Wednesday (1-0 victory at Camp Nou), was part of the squad for Sunday's Clasico.
