Barcelona defender Martinez declared that “La Liga is ours” without a doubt after loss at San Siro
Boastful comments from Barcelona players have sparked increased tension ahead of crucial clasico at Montjuic on Sunday.
After Barcelona’s recent elimination from the Champions League semifinals by Inter Milan, defender Inigo Martinez sought an early bounce-back by re-emphasising their domestic ambitions.
“La Liga is ours and the next game will be ours, I have no doubt about it,” said the defender. “We’re going after Madrid without any problem.”
The remarks have reportedly unsettled the Real Madrid camp, with players perceiving them as a lack of respect. Tensions have flared up especially because this was only one among many boasts from the Barcelona team in recent weeks.
Following Barcelona’s 3-2 victory over Real Madrid in the Copa del Rey final in April, youngster Lamine Yamal revealed that he had told teammate Ronald Araujo in a pre-match conversation that Real Madrid simply can’t defeat them.
“Talking to Ronald [Araujo] at the hotel, I told him that if we concede a goal, it doesn’t matter,” said Yamal at the time.
“If we concede two goals, it doesn’t matter either. This year, they simply can’t beat us.”
The tension was further stoked by Martinez’s post-match comments that day in which he said: “I think football won today, and that’s what’s important. For our part, we had to show we were better, as we did.”
Now, as anticipation builds for the upcoming clasico at Montjuic, these events promise to intensify the already red-hot rivalry. Real Madrid are trailing Barcelona by four points in the league standings and the match against their rivals presents an opportunity to close the gap.
On the other hand, Barcelona can extend the lead to seven points if they win, which has made the clash a potential title decider.
