Luis Enrique refused to accept Barcelona’s favourites tag for the Clasico in wake of their Champions League last-16 triumph over Manchester City.
La Blaugrana reached the quarter-finals of the competion for an eighth successive edition after they outclassed the Premier League holders over two legs, but the Coach did his best to quell the pressure on his players ahead of Real Madrid at the weekend.
“I expected the City we saw. We experienced a match with many chances to close [the result] earlier,” he said after the match.
“We achieved our objective of closing the tie and winning the game, so I’ll take [our performance].
“We showed a good attitude in an awesome atmosphere. As always, we’re treating [the Clasico] like any other game.
“We’ll be in optimal condition for the Clasico as we’re leaders [in La Liga]. We want to win for our fans.
“No matter what happens, we don’t consider ourselves as favourites. It’s risky and pretentious.
“We’ll have home advantage. It’s important but often not decisive, so speaking about favourites would be risky and pretentious.
“I don’t know [my XI for the Clasico]. You’ll see [the team I pick] on Sunday.”
