Barcelona defender ready to ‘turn the page’ after consecutive defeats ahead of El Clasico

Less than a week ago, Barcelona were on a stellar 18-game unbeaten run across all competitions. However, things have gone south for Xavi Hernandez’s side over the past few days as they have lost each of their previous two matches.

Indeed, the Blaugrana suffered a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Manchester United that sent them packing out of the UEFA Europa League. That was followed by a shock loss to UD Almeria in La Liga, which stopped them from extending their lead at the top to ten points.

With a huge game coming up next against Real Madrid, Barcelona have their task cut out as they look to bounce back strongly from their minor slump.

The Blaugrana take on Carlo Ancelotti’s side on Thursday night in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semi-finals, away at the Santiago Bernabeu.

And even though they are coming on the back of consecutive losses, defender Ronald Araujo feels that Barça are ready for the challenge ahead.

“El Clasico is always special, and it’s a match that everyone wants to play. Madrid are a team with great players. We’re ready,” he said.

The Uruguayan international added that Barcelona have shown that they can perform in the big games. After all, it must be remembered that they outplayed and defeated Real Madrid in the finals of the Spanish Super Cup in January to win the first trophy of the Xavi era.

“We’ve already shown that with the level we’re at, we can compete in big games. We trust ourselves,” he said.

Talking about the consecutive defeats against Manchester United and Almeria, Araujo said that the team are aware of their potential and will look to put those results behind.

“The team is like a family, we are all close to each other. We’re coming from two consecutive losses, but the team is good and we know our potential. We have to wake up and turn the page,” he said.

“There’s still a lot left for the end of the season, and we’re top of the league,” Araujo added.

Talking about his own adaptation to Barcelona and their style of play, as well as the improvements he has made to his game, saying:

“I came from a different style. Barça’s style is special, and learning it required a lot of work from me. It was a big change, but I never put my head down. I always said to myself that I would prove that I could play here. Now you can see how I have evolved.”

Source: BarçaTV