Barcelona youngster names Real Madrid midfielder as one of his three toughest opponents | OneFootball

With just hours remaining before Barcelona take on Real Madrid at Santiago Bernabeu, the tension is palpable, as this promises to be one of the most evenly-matched Clasicos in some years.

Many, in fact, have picked Barcelona as the favourite, considering their blazing start to the season and a sensational 4-1 victory over Bayern Munich in midweek.

If Real Madrid are to secure all three points, the onus will be on the front three to breach the defences of Barcelona. To that end, it will be interesting to see whether or not they shift their focus to one man: Alejandro Balde.

Among the four Barcelona defenders, the young left-back is perhaps the weakest link, as he can be susceptible to leaving space behind. As hinted by Harry Kane, earlier, utilising space given by Barcelona could go a long way in beating Hansi Flick’s men.

Alejandro Balde names three of his toughest opponents

Heading into this game, Balde, in a short conversation with ESPN, has already hinted that he may have a tough night coming.

Balde could be a weak link in Barcelona defence (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)

That is because the young Spaniard confirmed that Real Madrid midfielder Federico Valverde is one of the toughest opponents he has ever faced.

When asked to reveal three of his toughest opponents, Balde started with Valverde, stating, “Well, I can give you one: Federico Valverde.”

Explaining his decision to pick the Real Madrid midfielder, the Barcelona star added, “In the first Clasico I played, I think he was quite too. We had various battles and he was quite good.”

Balde went on to list two more players, who he considers as toughest opponents. Noni Madueke of Chelsea and Michael Olise of Bayern Munich made the list.