Real Madrid defender Pepe has said this season’s results against Barcelona will have no bearing on the Copa Del Rey final.
The sides meet again on Wednesday after a 4-3 Barca win at Santiago Bernabeu and a 2-1 win at Camp Nou.
With the game at a neutral venue – Valencia’s Mestalla – and being a one-off contest as opposed to part of a wider League campaign, Pepe has insisted the victory is up for grabs.
“In the last game against Barca, we deserved to win,” Marca quotes Pepe as saying after Madrid’s 4-0 win over Almeria.
“It wasn’t a normal Clasico, with so many penalties. We’ll try to play our game and the fans will support us.
“There are no favourites. We each have a 50% chance and Madrid are ready for it.”
Pepe was asked about the status of his teammate, Cristiano Ronaldo, and replied he didn’t know if the forward would play a part in the game.
“Cristiano is fine, happy and recovering well. The most important thing is to recover properly for the season finale,” Pepe said.
“I don’t know if he’ll be involved in the Cup final. It’s not up to me.”
Barca were beaten by Granada yesterday and Pepe was asked if the Madrid team was shocked by the result.
“It didn’t surprise us because we know how hard it is to win every game,” he answered.
“Granada take all week to prepare and Barca had the Champions League in the middle of the week. The end of the season is very hard but they have great players and they’ll be there.
“The final games of the season will be played fairly because no one can lose points. I hope Madrid are ready for the final games. It won’t be decided until the last day.
“It’s been tough for Barca. But they are a great team who can score at any time. We only have to worry about us and hope we’re at our best.”
