Two old adversaries are set to lock horns at Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday, with the Blancos aware that they face another tough test
Karim Benzema says Lionel Messi “does everything for Barcelona”, with the Real Madrid striker readying himself for another Clasico clash with a “very dangerous” rival.
The Blancos are due to welcome their old adversaries to Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday.
That contest will take place with both teams looking to chase down the Liga title in 2020-21 and with key men starting to hit form at just the right time for Ronald Koeman and Zinedine Zidane.
What has been said?
On the obvious threats that Barca pose to Real, French frontman Benzema has told La Liga TV: “They always have possession, they have a good goalkeeper and Messi, the player who does everything for Barcelona. We have to be careful because he is very dangerous.”
Could Benzema be a match-winner?
While Real have every reason to be wary of facing Messi again, given all that he has achieved down the years, Barca will need no reminding that the Blancos have plenty of match-winners on their books.
Vinicius Junior stepped up to deliver on a Champions League stage in midweek, with the Brazilian bagging a brace in a 3-1 win over Liverpool that has Madrid in full control of that quarter-final contest.
Benzema has, however, remained the go-to man for Zidane’s side this season.
The 33-year-old is on track to enjoy the best campaign of his career on the goal-scoring front, with a key role taken on since Cristiano Ronaldo departed for Juventus in 2018.
Benzema has found the target on 24 occasions across all competitions – with his personal best sitting at 32 – but he is reluctant to give himself a big billing.
He added on his form: “I don’t know if it’s my best season, every year I start from scratch and I want to improve on the previous one.
“Now I’m on a scoring streak and if I can continue working to help my team win points and games, I’m going to do so. The important thing is to win.
He went on to say: “I feel free on the field, I do what I want, I help the team at the beginning of the play, I finish it.
“There are plenty of games left and this league will be decided at the end. It is very difficult, but we have to treat every game as if it were a final.”
