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LOS ANGELES -- Gareth Bale has told ESPN FC that he and his Real Madrid teammates will be playing to win when they face Barcelona in the International Champions Cup in Miami. European champions Madrid take on their bitter Spanish rivals at the Hard Rock Stadium on July 29, before renewing hostilities in the Spanish Super Cup in August. Bale, 28, insists that the ICC clash will also be played in a competitive spirit. When asked in an interview at Madrid's base in Los Angeles if there are ever truly any "friendly" matches against Barca, Bale said: "No, I don't think so. I think every game you play against them, you want to win. You want to win for the fans. You want to win for yourself. "Even though it is a friendly, we'll all be going out there to try to win the game. But I think the most important thing is to build our fitness ready for the new season and to get prepared as much as we can." The Clasico is one of world football's fiercest fixtures, with Madrid and Barca often contesting the title race between each other ahead of the rest of La Liga. Madrid came out on top in that duel last season, but Bale said he and his teammates only focus on their own games during the campaign rather than the rivalry. "It doesn't really affect us at all," he said. "We go into every game wanting to win... For us, as long as we concentrate on ourselves and we do our job on the pitch, we have nothing else to worry about." Madrid won a domestic title and Champions League double for the first time in their history last season, and the target for next term will once again be to win every competition they enter. Bale said of next season's ambitions: "The same as every year. Every competition we enter, we want to win. Obviously, we know not always you're lucky enough to win every competition, but we want to fight for every competition we're in. The plan is to win them all. Obviously, you need a bit of luck along the way, but we'll fight on every front to win everything we can." Madrid will play Manchester United in Santa Clara on July 23 and Manchester City three days later in Los Angeles before they meet Barca on the other side of the United States, and Bale said he always enjoys his visits to the country. "It's always great coming to America," he said. "I love the country. I come here on holiday. I've been here in previous preseasons. It's always great to come back. The fans are incredible always here. They always give us a nice, warm reception. We're obviously not as well known here as we are back home, but it's great to be here. "I suppose every preseason is away from Madrid. We've obviously been in Australia, China, we've been here in America. It's part and parcel of what we do. We're used to being away in preseason. It's not all great -- believe me -- but it's something we have to work hard to get ourselves ready for the season in the best shape we can."
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