Barcelona star trio praise Real Madrid ace ahead of Clasico battle – ‘He doesn’t stop’ | OneFootball

We are just a day away from the much-awaited El Clasico, where a resurgent FC Barcelona will take on a buoyant Real Madrid team.

A key challenge for Real Madrid will be to navigate through the Barcelona defence, which has stood quite strong this season, much thanks to Hansi Flick’s excellent defensive organisation.

Real Madrid’s key player Vinicius Junior, meanwhile, will face a new challenge in the form of Jules Kounde.

With Ronald Araujo injured, the onus of stopping Vinicius will befall upon the Frenchman, who, in a recent interview, talked at length about facing the Brazilian.

Kounde on the Vinicius challenge

“Facing Vinicius Junior is a challenge because I’ll be in his area most of the time, but it’s also a team effort, and I’m sure we’ll do a good job,” Kounde said (h/t SportyTV).

“Vinicius is not a player you can stop on your own, especially for 90 minutes. He doesn’t stop, and there will definitely be moments when I need help. That’s normal because, in the end, it’s a team sport,” he added.

Kounde has been a top performer in the Barcelona defence this season, offering much solidity in the right-back position.

Kounde and Vinicius have had altercations in the past during previous Clasicos. But the Frenchman is not afraid of facing the Brazilian, who is likely to secure the Ballon d’Or title on Monday.

Kounde is no stranger to facing Vinicius (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)

“Am I scared of Vinicius? No no, there is no fear at all. He is a top candidate for the Ballon d’Or and one of the best but for me, this is a challenge. This is also why I play football, I love playing against the best, and Saturday’s game is no exception,” he said.

Inigo Martinez & Raphinha on Vinicius

Kounde was not the only one who acknowledged Vinicius Junior and his pedigree heading into this important clash.

Barcelona’s defensive leader Inigo Martinez stated (h/t Movistar +), “We all know that the Ballon d’Or will go to Vinícius. He is a great player who continues to prove it.

“The other day in the Champions League he was the one who blew the lid off the game, and he will try to do the same against us.”

Vinicius’ Brazilian compatriot Raphinha, in red-hot form this season, also heaped praise on the Real Madrid star.

“Vini as a person is a guy that I love very much. I have a very special affection for him. Off the field he is spectacular,” he said (h/t DAZN).

Kounde on Real Madrid

Kounde, meanwhile, went on to highlight that even though Vinicius is a top player, it will be equally important to keep the entire Real Madrid attack at bay.

“Vinicius is probably the biggest threat, but Real Madrid have other players. It’s a team full of talent, players who can decide games almost single-handedly,” he said.

“When you have chances, especially against Madrid, you have to take them because they always find a way to decide the game. They also have talented players who can decide the game almost by themselves, so we have to give our best to win.

“Sometimes Real Madrid play well and sometimes not but they always find a way to win. We expect that and we know it will be a difficult match,” he added.

Kounde also talked about Real Madrid’s comeback win over Borussia Dortmund and whether or not that will have any impact on Barcelona are viewing this match.

“No, it’s more exciting. We watched the game and we saw what happened, this is what Real Madrid do, a team that knows how to win. I think that’s Real Madrid’s biggest advantage in recent seasons,” he concluded.