"I won't say fear, but everyone has great respect for Madrid"

Former Brazilian footballer Julio Baptista considered that ahead of the 'El Clasico' between Real Madrid and Barcelona, the latter "has more pressure" because "they have to win to try to do something to fight for La Liga".

"Real Madrid are coming in very well, they are eight points ahead. It's a game that Barcelona have to win to try to do something to fight for La Liga and they have more pressure. I see that the two teams are at two totally different points. Real Madrid come with the energy that has given them a place in the semi-finals of the Champions League and at Barcelona, whether you like it or not, you suffer emotionally when you are eliminated from a competition," he said at an event organised by the 'Mahou' brewery.

Baptista believes that the match will end in a 2-1 win for Real Madrid and that, despite the fact that both teams have had important Champions League clashes in midweek and therefore have not been able to think exclusively about that game, "the 'Clasicos' will always be the 'Clasicos".

With regard to those clashes in Europe's top competition, the Brazilian spoke in depth about Real Madrid's performance in Manchester against City: "Winning makes the team stronger, and even more so the way the game went. It was a tough match in which Real Madrid managed to resist and I think that being in the semi-finals of the Champions League gives Real Madrid, being as they are in La Liga, a lot of encouragement to try to win both competitions".

"I think it's a club thing, a resilience thing, it has that DNA of being a club where in the most difficult moments the players manage to get the best out of each other. It was a very difficult game in which City put Madrid on the ropes. But you still have to do everything right to be able to win," he concluded.