Real Madrid and Barcelona are set to clash in Las Vegas in the early hours of the morning Central European time (05:00), as both teams approach the season with plenty of optimism.
Los Blancos come from a Champions League and La Liga double, while Barcelona have the feeling of a new era following the signings of Robert Lewandowski, Franck Kessie, Andreas Christensen and Raphinha.
Speaking ahead of El Clasico, Pedri was asked about the new signings.
“Robert is a guarantee of goals, we have already seen what he has done at Bayern, it is an honour for us to have him here.”
Sport covered his comments, as Pedri expressed how much of an impression Kessie has made.
“He has surprised me a lot, I already knew him a little because I had played against him, but he has surprised me. He is very strong, the truth is I try not to collide with him or get too close to him, look what happened to Fati.”
Kessie sends Fati flying 🫢 pic.twitter.com/cTEOJDMCGg
— Stella (@Stella_FCB) July 19, 2022
He also assured Cules that Barcelona would be going for it in every competition this year after a disappointing season.
“The Champions League? Every year we have the maximum motivation to fight for it. Last year Ansu’s injury didn’t help us.”
Perhaps most importantly, Pedri highlighted that he was over his injury issues from last season. The young star missed almost all of the first half of the season and was again ruled out for the final month.
“The injuries are forgotten. I work a lot on the physical [side of things], football is getting more and more based on physique and you notice it, therefore I have to be more prepared.”
As much as any of the new signings, Pedri’s fitness will be decisive for Barcelona next season. While their drop off in form towards the end of last season cannot be put down to one player, there is no doubt that Barcelona looked a different side with and without him.
