Barça News
Barcelona summer signing raring to go for his first El Clasico: “Always wanted to be here”
Barcelona registered their third successive win in the UEFA Champions League group stages after securing a 2-1 victory over Shakhtar Donetsk in midweek.
Now, the Catalans are bracing themselves for the biggest challenge of the season, as they play hosts to Real Madrid this weekend.
Following a summer of change, this game promises to be a special one for many Barcelona players, many of whom will be playing their first El Clasico.
One of them is Joao Cancelo, who sounded quite excited about Barça’s chances in this important encounter.
Joao Cancelo on playing El Clasico for the first time
In a recent media interaction, Cancelo pointed out how exciting it is for him to represent Barcelona in a match against Real Madrid.
“It will be my first Clásico and I’m very excited about it. As I have said already, I always wanted to be here. Barça is the club I like the most after Benfica,” he told Movistar+.
However, Cancelo has seen his fair share of close rivalries in the past. During his time at Manchester City, the Portuguese international had played against opposition such as Liverpool and Manchester United.
Even at Juventus, he had played against AC Milan while at Benfica, he played against FC Porto. El Clasico, however, will be the biggest one yet, in his illustrious career.
“Confident of our chances”
Apart from highlighting his excitement for the game, Cancelo added that he is also quite confident of Barcelona’s opportunities, despite injuries.
“I don’t think the injuries will affect us and I see a great opportunity for the other players to have their chance who haven’t participated as much,” he said.
It must also be mentioned that Barcelona may have a few of their star players back in action for the weekend encounter, including the trio of Frenkie de Jong, Robert Lewandowski, and Raphinha.
Cancelo, for his part, looks to be a guaranteed starter, who will be tasked with the responsibility of stopping Vinicius Jr. on the flanks.
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