"Barca not as strong"

[Lazie]

Real Madrid sports chief Pedja Mijatovic has branded Barcelona as "not as strong" as previous seasons ahead of Sunday's big showdown.

"In these games there are no favorites," said Mijatovic. "I have played in derbies when the team which had the better sport situation ended up losing. It is a very special game and form doesn't count for anything.

"Our mental state, the desire and the good result in the Champions League are reason enough for us to say 'we can beat them'.

"They surely are not as strong as the last two years, but this is something normal. To maintain that rate for three or four years is impossible.

"In addition, they have won important titles and that always relaxes you just a little bit, even if the player says it doesn't. I believe that we arrive at this derby with more advantages than they.

"We arrive with more hunger. The defeat last year hurt us a lot. I believe that right now we are in better form than them."

[Lazie]

RE: "Barca not as strong"

Teams working out how to beat us


Barcelona defender Rafael Marquez believes last night's defeat by Chelsea is a sign that teams are working out how to play them.

The Mexican admitted: "Teams now know more about us, they pressure us more, mainly with the players in attack and that causes that we have less opportunities to score."

Andres Iniesta is convinced that the crucial point was Didier Drogba's opening goal: "They're a dangerous opponent. It's very difficult to play against them being 1-0 down because they know how to close up the game.

"We knew we could lose. But now it's essential we do not fail again."

Like his teammates, Barca whiz Leo Messi was reluctant to speak with the media last night, but did say: "There was no problems on the field. The tackling was fine.

"We at Barcelona are forced to always win and now more than ever."