Ivan Rakitic has insisted that the Clasico against Real Madrid in La Liga on March 22 is just another match for Barcelona.
The Week 28 encounter at Camp Nou is being billed as a potential title decider between the Spanish juggernauts, but the midfielder is only thinking about Saturday’s trip to Eibar, which he believes may prove tricky for the Catalans to negotiate.
“The season is very long and takes many turns. We must give everything because there are difficult games coming up and we have to keep going,” the Croat told reporters.
“We work on every detail, knowing that the most important [part of the season] is coming up.
“I don’t talk about other teams when their results aren’t perfect. My opinion of them hasn’t changed, they’re no better or worse.
“Maybe their dynamics have changed, but they’ve been normal for a long time. They’ll work as hard as possible to get back to where they were.
“We have maximum respect for Eibar, but we’re not going to do anything we haven’t done this week [in training], we’ll prepare in the best way possible.
“We know what to expect and we’re not thinking about what comes next week.
“Now, we’re due to face Eibar and we’ll try to make the best of [the match]. The three points are equal to those of [the ones we can get against Real] Madrid.
“Winning the Clasico won’t mean anything if we go and lose the following three games.
“I see myself playing in every game. [Playing in defensive] midfield wouldn’t be new to me, I’ve played there for both Croatia and Sevilla.
“[The position] asks different things of you, but I know [them] well. I’m ready and feeling 100 percent.
“What I want is to always play. The most important thing is helping the team and [for now] knowing that it’ll be difficult to play at Eibar.
“I hate being on the [substitutes’] bench. I want to play every game, but I have to accept the decision of the Coach.
“I don’t have to understand it, I have to accept it.”
