Christian Karembeu has urged Real Madrid not to think about their last league meeting with Barcelona ahead of their Clasico showdown on Saturday.
Los Merengues were devastated 4-0 by their arch rivals earlier in the campaign, a defeat that was an influencing factor in the exit of Rafael Benitez after less than half a season at the helm.
Speaking to Goal ahead of this weekend’s resumption of hostilities, Karembeu has insisted that Real must not be thinking about trying to exact revenge for their loss earlier in the season.
“They should not be thinking about the 4-0 loss in the reverse fixture and try to get revenge,” Karembeu began. “They should prepare themselves for this game as a match on itself.”
The Frenchman—who won the World Cup and the European Championship alongside current Real coach Zinedine Zidane in 1998 and 2000 respectively—has also insisted that the current league standings are not as relevant as otherwise in such a high-profile derby.
The Catalan giants currently sit 10 points ahead of their rivals in La Liga, and nine clear of second-place Atletico Madrid, but Karembeu appears optimistic that a desire for pride could make the difference in this one-off encounter.
“The Clasico is all about pride, though,” the former midfielder continued. “It is all about who you are and which club you are representing and fighting for.
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“Barcelona are comfortably leading La Liga, but this is a special game that is all about pride.”
Karembeu has his fair share of Clasico experience, having represented Los Blancos between 1997 and 2000, during which time he won two Champions League titles with the Bernabeu giants.