Chapter 808 - 58: Four National Derbies
Before the El Clasico, the verbal battles between the two teams have become an old tradition.
It is no longer surprising for players who have played for both teams to step into the fray, as Stoichkov is a Barcelona legend that fans are quite familiar with.
In an exclusive interview with the Catalonian magazine "Mr. Football," Stoichkov first praised Mourinho: "My relationship with Mourinho is very good. It doesn’t matter to me whether he is the coach of Real Madrid; during his time in Barcelona, he proved a lot to me. I’ve always said, he is an amazing guy."
Then, when discussing the match on April 16 at the Bernabeu, Stoichkov stated: "This match is very delicate for both teams. Real Madrid holds a league points advantage, but the King’s Cup final is just four days later. What will happen? Will both teams go all out on April 16? Only the two coaches know."
When asked for predictions about the match,
Stoichkov analyzed, "I can’t say Real Madrid has won the league title yet, but theoretically speaking, they do have a greater chance of winning."
Regarding the King’s Cup final, the Bulgarian expressed: "Of course, I hope Barcelona wins the King’s Cup. As for the Champions Cup, I just spoke with my fellow countryman Berbatov, who said he most hopes to see a final between Barcelona and Manchester United at Wembley. He said they lost to Barcelona in Rome, and now Manchester United wants revenge. I, too, want to see the final between Manchester United and Barcelona."
A reporter then asked whether he thought Mourinho was Real Madrid’s biggest weapon.
He responded: "I think with Mourinho at the helm of Real Madrid, the team has become more distinctive, and every player knows what to do, which is very important."
"However, the players are the ones who truly execute the coach’s tactics. Chen is actually the key and the strongest weapon of Real Madrid."
"You can clearly feel that when Chen is on the field, Real Madrid’s performance is different."
Meanwhile, former Real Madrid player Roberto Carlos believes that Chen Zhong is more decisive than Messi.
The Brazilian stated in an interview: "I like the way Messi plays, as when you see someone dribble past several people consecutively and then score, it’s hard not to admire such a performance."
"But Chen Zhong does more for Real Madrid than Messi does for Barcelona. Messi is not alone at Barcelona, nor is he a leader by position or status."
"And Real Madrid very, very much needs Chen. When Chen is on the field, he not only helps Real Madrid in terms of competition but also provides some mental encouragement, so I think Chen is more decisive."
Carlos praised Barcelona’s style of football, but he did not forget to point out Real Madrid’s progress in football.
"Barcelona’s football is unique; they enjoy football and play with great ease. However, Real Madrid is also improving. Real Madrid has faced a lot of criticism but now the team has reached the Champions Cup semi-finals and the King’s Cup final."
Carlos also believes that in the next four El Clásico matches, both teams have a chance of winning, but no team will keep winning constantly.
"Whichever team wins one of these four matches, it won’t be by a large margin, because such a score only occurs once in ten years."
Regarding the two coaches of Real Madrid and Barcelona, Carlos commented: "Mourinho has a prestigious history in the world of football, and Guardiola is also becoming one of the best coaches in the world."
Real Madrid and Barcelona will engage in the first of four ’Clásico’ matches within 18 days at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium.
Before the match, Real Madrid announced a relatively unsurprising 19-man roster, whereas on the Barcelona side, Puyol’s return was unexpected.
On the Real Madrid roster, Benzema and Khedira, who missed the last match against Athletic Bilbao, returned to the squad, Granero is suspended, and Pedro León was left out due to technical reasons.
On the Barcelona side, according to Guardiola’s press conference, Puyol passed the medical and will travel with the team to Madrid.
Barcelona’s official Twitter account revealed that the Barcelona squad will include 20 players.
Mascherano is banned, while the young Fontas, Dos Santos, and Thiago are included in the squad.
Real Madrid’s 19-man squad:
Goalkeepers: Casillas, Adan
Defenders: Albiol, Ramos, Cavaleiro, Pepe, Marcelo, Alvaro
Midfielders: Alonso, Chen Zhong, Di Maria, Khedira, Kaka, Parejo, Callejon
Forwards: Cristiano Ronaldo, Adebayor, Higuain, Benzema
Barcelona’s 20-man squad:
Goalkeepers: Valdes, Pinto
Defenders: Alves, Pique, Puyol, Milito, Adriano, Maxwell, Fontas
Midfielders: Xavi, Busquets, Keita, Iniesta, Thiago, Dos Santos
Forwards: Messi, Villa, Pedro, Afelay, Hefron
After the squads for both teams were announced, people could not help but recall the past experiences between Chen Zhong and Bojan. Initially, Bojan’s starting point was apparently higher than Chen Zhong’s, but now Chen Zhong has become one of the world’s top players.