Real Madrid centre-back Raphael Varane, in a recent interview, has claimed that treating Barcelona skipper Lionel Messi like a regular opponent could prove to be disastrous for them in the forthcoming El Clasico on Wednesday.
“He [Messi] is a special player and you can’t defend him like any other player,” Varane stated in an interview with La Liga ahead of the much-anticipated encounter.
“He has his characteristics and he demands great focus from you and you have to defend him together with your team-mates.”
“It is a collective effort… we have to leave him as little space as possible,” he added.
🎙️ “It’s football of the highest level. A metre can make all the difference…”
🇫🇷 @raphaelvarane talks about tonight’s #ElClasico and @realmadriden‘s expectations for the season. 💜 pic.twitter.com/vFNgrzcold
— LaLiga (@LaLigaEN) December 18, 2019
“I believe that in these kinds of games you always want to come into them with confidence,” 26-year-old Varane said, highlighting the importance of the El Clasico encounter for both the teams.
“But it’s special, no doubt. When both teams take to the field they leave their doubts aside, it’s a battle. It doesn’t really matter how the last few games have been.”
“When you step out onto the field, everything’s different,” he concluded.
Meanwhile, fans are expecting a well fought out game on Wednesday.