Football
9y

Barcelona's Gerard Pique wary of Madrid's Bale, Benzema and Ronaldo

Barcelona defender Gerard Pique has said he is ignoring the current patchy form of Real Madrid's "BBC" strike force ahead of Sunday's Clasico at the Camp Nou.

Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo come into the game under the spotlight, with their individual and collective play being blamed for Madrid's recent slip-ups both domestically and in the Champions League.

Ronaldo has just five La Liga goals in 2015, compared to the five notched by Barca's Lionel Messi in his last two league games.

Bale had gone nine games without scoring until his double in last weekend's 2-0 win at home to Levante, while Benzema has scored six times but created just one in 16 appearances this calendar year.

Asked whether this was a good time to be facing Madrid's attackers, Pique told Barca TV that recent form would have no bearing on the game.

"This isn't their best moment of the season," he said. "But the form book goes out the window for the Clasico. Each side has a 50 percent chance of winning.

"They have Cristiano and Bale -- two players that are very powerful, very fast, very dangerous in the one-on-one and who score goals.

"Benzema gives them balance. He looks to receive the ball and then takes on players to get into the area. It's vital for us to stop him."

Messi's return to form, along with that of Neymar and Luis Suarez, has helped Barca win 16 of their last 17 games in all competitions -- overtaking Madrid at the top of the Primera Division table, easing past Manchester City in the Champions League and qualifying for the Copa del Rey final against Athletic Bilbao.

Pique said confidence was high among the squad and that the players were looking forward to facing Madrid.

"We are in very positive form and winning a lot of games" he said. "Most of all, we have three very strong players up front and we're competing well at the back.

"We are all excited about the Clasico and hoping to get all three points from the game. You feel stronger and more confident on the back of a run like the one we've been having."

A win on Sunday, which would stretch Barca's La Liga lead to four points, could go a long way to deciding this season's Spanish title race, Pique said.

"Winning the Clasico would be a very important step forward," he explained.

"There are 10 games left and it's very tight between us. If we get three points it also means that they won't, and that will open a gap that might end up winning us the title.

"But right now we'll only be focusing on the game and on winning it. We can think about what's left of the league afterwards."

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