Toni Kroos has had his say ahead of this weekend’s El Clásico clash between Real Madrid and Barcelona.
Los Blancos have set themselves apart from their La Liga rivals so far this season, now 10 points ahead of the pack.
The La Liga title is looking inevitable for Carlo Ancelotti’s men, but they do have some key tests remaining yet.
The biggest of those is this weekend’s Clásico with Barcelona at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Barca have improved significantly over recent months, and they are a very different outfit from the first Clásico of the season, when Real Madrid came out on top.
Even with those improvements, Real Madrid can be forgiven for feeling pretty confident given their recent form, winning their last five games, including that comeback win over PSG in the Champions League.
Though, even by Kroos’ reckoning, factors on the day and fine details can decide these derby games.
“The Clásico is going to mark, a little, the form that we have at the moment, because you cannot say that a team has less quality than the other,” the midfielder told Marca.
“They are two very good teams and it always depends a little on the day.
“In the tactical aspect, the idea that we have is going to be very important, of course, but many times these games are decided by details.
“On our part, we have to continue what we are doing, to play very seriously, knowing what importance this game has, apart from La Liga, to our fans.”
