Joan García set the tone for Barcelona’s Clásico build-up by making one point clear: even with a six-point lead over Real Madrid, nothing is settled in October. Speaking to the club’s official channel before Sunday’s Barcelona vs Real Madrid meeting, the goalkeeper said Barcelona are in good shape and ready for one of the biggest matches of the season.
“Estamos bien y con ganas del partido del domingo,” García said, reflecting the confidence around the squad after another strong start. Barcelona’s position at the top of the table makes the match important, but García pushed back against any idea that it could decide the title race this early. “Los títulos no se deciden en octubre,” he said, adding that it would be a mistake to think the team already has everything solved.
Barcelona approach another major test
The timing of the match adds to the pressure. Barcelona enter the Clásico six points ahead of Real Madrid, which gives the game extra weight even if it is still early in the season. García’s message was that Barcelona should treat it as a high-level test, not a finishing line. That is especially relevant after the defeat to Paris Saint-Germain, which García said the team had to move past quickly.
“Queríamos ganar en París, fue un partido difícil, pero lo bueno de jugar cada tres días es la capacidad de concentrarse rápido en el siguiente duelo,” he said. That short turnaround is now leading Barcelona straight into another marquee match, this time at their own stadium.
Barcelona also know what recent Clásicos can mean. Last season, they beat Real Madrid 3-2 in the Supercopa de España final, then followed that with a 2-0 league win that secured the LaLiga title. Those results give Barcelona a useful reference point, but García was careful not to turn them into a guarantee. The challenge on Sunday is to reset again and prove it in the present, not the past.
García sees the Clásico as a team game
García also tried to strip away some of the individual buildup around the game. “El domingo es un duelo entre el Barcelona y el Madrid, no Courtois contra Joan ni Mbappé contra Lamine,” he said. That framing matters because the Clásico often gets reduced to star matchups, yet Barcelona’s goalkeeper wanted the focus on the collective task.
He did acknowledge the threat Real Madrid bring, saying they can cause a lot of damage in attack. Still, he made it clear Barcelona are comfortable with the challenge. “Este es el tipo de partidos que preferimos,” García said, while also stressing that the team knows what it wants to do and how it plans to play.
That confidence is part of the backdrop to Sunday’s meeting, and it also explains why García’s comments landed as more than a routine pre-match preview. Barcelona have the lead, the home advantage, and the recent edge in the rivalry, but the goalkeeper’s message was simple: the Clásico is a statement game, not a title decider. For Barcelona, that is the right way to treat it.
Elsewhere, the broader weekend around Barcelona also carries uncertainty, as weather has already pushed Barcelona seek 19.00 kickoff change as weather forces Barcelona Vs Real Madrid Cf Femenino into uncertainty. The men’s side now has its own spotlight with Sunday’s match against Real Madrid.
