Barcelona midfielder Ilkay Gundogan is confident his team will bounce back from their UEFA Champions League disappointment to beat Real Madrid in El Classico on Sunday.
Gundogan has been crucial in midfield for the Catalans this season with 16 goal contributions while often playing in a deep midfield role and scored the opener in the reverse fixture when Barcelona lost to the Meringes courtesy a Jude Bellingham brace in October.
Gundogan says although the club suffered a disappointing result in midweek, their gaze remains on the next game ahead of them, and his team will show their quality against Real Madrid.
“Football you know is funny. Two days ago we had a heavy defeat and it was a frustrating and disappointing night. But then now, we have a big big game coming up. One of the biggest in European football and we’re really looking forward to it” he said to Barca TV.
Gundogan also reflected on scoring his first-ever Classico goal, and how crucial Barcelona’s conversion of chances created will be at the Santiago Bernabeu if they want to grab all three points and boost their chances of defending their La Liga title.
“You can feel that the Classico is very special to be honest, I already felt that a few months ago in the reverse fixture and the Spanish Super Cup in Saudi Arabia. You can sense a difference atmosphere and tension for that game. It was a privilege to score my first goal for Barca in that game but it’s disappointing the result we got, we couldn’t get the three points at the end of the day. I would have preferred not to score and get the three points. To win against Madrid, you have to take your chances and minimize their chances of scoring because they have quality”, he added.
Barcelona will be aiming to secure their first Classico win in three meetings on Sunday, yet with Real Madrid’s progress in the Champions League against Manchester City, winning at the Santiago Bernabeu looks uncertain as the final matches draw near to the end of the season.