FC Barcelona defender Iñigo Martínez speaks out ahead of El Clásico against Real Madrid. Following their Champions League exit to Inter Milan, the Spanish player sends a strong message to Carlo Ancelotti’s side regarding the La Liga title race.
The hangover must be hard to shake off at Barça following their semi-final elimination from the Champions League at the hands of Inter Milan. After having won everything domestically this season — including the Spanish Super Cup and the Copa del Rey against Madrid — Hansi Flick and his men had high hopes of lifting the Champions League trophy. Unfortunately for them, Inter had other ideas and won 4-3 (after extra time, 7-6 on aggregate) on Tuesday. After a match filled with controversial refereeing decisions, Iñigo Martínez did not hold back.
According to the Spanish defender, who was substituted in the second half for Ronald Araujo, referee Szymon Marciniak was largely responsible for his team’s elimination. “Everyone saw today that the decisions always went in the same direction. Even though we don’t want to blame him, we hold our heads high,” Martínez explained.
“La Liga is ours”
After the regrets, his focus shifted to the upcoming clash in matchday 35 of La Liga against Real Madrid next Sunday. Currently sitting top of the table with a four-point lead over their arch-rivals, the Catalans must win at all costs to all but secure the league title. Meanwhile, Madrid are aiming to claim all three points and reopen the title race with four matches remaining. Although the game is set to be a tough battle, Martínez downplayed Real Madrid’s threat: “La Liga is ours, and El Clásico will be ours. There’s no doubt,” the Catalan defender told Marca.
His rather arrogant comments may not sit well with Carlo Ancelotti’s men. Despite dealing with numerous defensive injuries and struggling in big matches this season, Real Madrid can still hope to defeat Barça on Sunday. In any case, Martínez’s bold words speak volumes about the confidence within the Catalan camp regarding their title chances.
While football is full of surprises and dramatic turnarounds, the Catalans are already ruling out Los Blancos from the title race — even though there’s only a four-point gap and twelve points still to play for. Having already lost three times to Barça this season, Carlo Ancelotti and his squad will be determined to prove they are no laughing stock and can hurt Barça too. One thing’s for sure — this one’s shaping up to be epic.
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