"We have to bounce back and there is no greater answer than to win 'El Clasico"

Barcelona's Joao Cancelo said his side have to "bounce back" from the defeat to PSG in the Champions League and that if they win on Sunday "there is no better response" they can give.

"I think it's going to be a very important game, but the defeat against PSG put us down. We have to bounce back, stay positive and if we win on Sunday there is no better response we can give," he said in statements released by the club.

He expects a "very important" game in which Barcelona need to win in order to "stay alive" in the race for La Liga title. "We know it's a very difficult game and even more so playing away, but we're going to try until the end, I think this team deserves it," he said.

Joao Cancelo described the squad as "spectacular" and admitted that he was "delighted" to be part of it. "I think we deserve a victory like this, although we know it's going to be very difficult," he insisted. He commented that ahead of Sunday's clash he feels nervous about "a match with a lot of tension", probably the match "that you see the most in the world".

"When I wasn't here it was a game I watched almost every time. It's a spectacular match for the spectators, for the people who watch it on television, for the football fans. I think it's going to be a great game of football, with two great teams, very good players and let's hope that the victory goes to us," he said.

Asked if the Champions League ties will take their toll, the Portuguese recalled that Real Madrid had to play 120 minutes against Manchester City, while Barcelona' s tiredness was mental. "We have to forget about it, we have to get through it," he concluded.

 

April 20, 2024