The war of words ahead of El Clasico shows no sign of abating with Madrid captain Dani Carvajal planning to confront Barca wonderkid Lamine Yamal at the end of the match over what he sees as "disrespectful" remarks in the build-up to the hotly-anticipated clash between the Spanish giants. Speaking on a Twitch stream ahead of the game, Yamal stoked the ill-feeling between the two sides, saying: "They (Real) steal, they complain, and they do things".
Yamal causing El Clasico tension
Yamal fuelled tensions ahead of Sunday's match during an online chat with former Barca star Gerard Pique, the 18-year-old winger made the provocative remarks which Spanish paper reports have gone down very badly with the Real Madrid squad. In Madrid's camp the players are now highly motivated by the teenager's words, believing the young star has not shown the club the required respect and Carvajal plans to challenge the youngster over his words at the Bernabeu.
AdvertisementGetty Images SportYamal just loves to wind up Real
Yamal has plenty of previous when it comes to antagonising Real Madrid with pre-game comments and on-field celebrations. After scoring a stunning equaliser against Thibaut Courtois, Yamal performed the trademark celebrations of both Cristiano Ronaldo and Kylian Mbappe, which enraged Los Blancos fans. And following Barcelona's 3-2 Copa del Rey final win – their fourth victory of the season over Carlo Ancelotti's side – Yamal boldly proclaimed, "This year, they simply can’t beat us." With his fiery words matched by strong performances, Yamal now faces the challenge of ensuring his latest taunts don't haunt him and his team-mates.
Barca legend wades into argument
Andres Iniesta has shared his thoughts on the situation and isn't too concerned by Yamal's words. He said: "It’s a comment to add a little spice to the Clasico. Beyond the comments or not, it will be a spectacular match. We'll see what happens. A lot of importance is always given to what is said, especially if it's before a match like this. I'm not very up to date with the news either. Some people will say it's to warm up the match and others won't like it, but what really matters is what happens in those 90 minutes."
Real Madrid react to Yamal's words
Real Madrid coach Xabi Alonso was quizzed on Yamal ahead of the game but did not want to get into a discussion about the Barcelona teenager. He told a pre-match press conference: "I’m not going to get into that. There are a lot of statements coming from people in Barcelona, and I can’t comment on all of them. For us, what matters is on the grass, what happens on the field.”
Meanwhile, Real Madrid left-back Alvaro Carreras, who is likely to come up against Yamal at the Bernabeu, says he's relishing the prospect of taking on Yamal and Barcelona. He explained: "We’re really looking forward to it. We’re already thinking about Sunday’s match, a fantastic match, at home, with our fans. We know it’s going to be tough but very important match that every child dreams of playing in. At home, it is always a very beautiful and important match for everyone."
And goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois added: "The team is in good shape. We need to recover well and rest so we can be at our best, but I think we’re in good shape and we're approaching it as an important game."
