Ilkay Gündoğan shares message for ex-teammates at Barcelona ahead of El Clasico against Real Madrid
Manchester City midfielder Ilkay Gundogan shared a message for his former teammates at Barcelona ahead of their El Clasico clash against Real Madrid. The two sides faced off at the Santiago Bernabeu in LaLiga on Saturday, October 26.
Gundogan notably spent last season with the Blaugrana, where he partook in their campaign under former manager Xavi Hernandez. The German midfielder joined Barca on a free transfer from Manchester City after his contract with the English giants ended after a seven-year stint. He played 51 games for the club across all competitions, scoring five goals and providing 14 assists during his spell with the Catalan giants.
He notably scored a goal in El Clasico, about a year ago (October 28, 2023) putting Barcelona ahead of Real Madrid at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys. However, that match saw Jude Bellingham score a brace to cancel out his efforts, as Barca lost 2-1.
The German midfielder took to social media ahead of this season's first El Clasico (October 26), driving his teammates to do well with a post that read:
"#ElClasico Vamoooos! 💙❤️ It's been some great results and performances recently - very happy my former teammates are doing such an amazing job so far. Tonight the big, big game 🔥 good luck & força Barça! @FCBarcelona"
Indeed, his former teammates have been doing brilliantly. Before El Clasico, Barcelona had racked up 33 goals in just 10 La Liga games, and they currently sit on top of La Liga's rankings. However, it would require an impressive performance to secure a win over Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Hansi Flick speaks about Barcelona facing Real Madrid in El Clasico clash
Hansi Flick has spoken about Barcelona's plan to come away with a win when they face Real Madrid in their El Clasico clash. In his conversation with the press, the Blaugrana manager revealed that his focus was on preparation (via Barca Universal):
“To be honest, I don’t think too much about it, what matters is to prepare the team well, I can see that we are looking forward to tomorrow’s game. It will be a great game."
Flick arrived at Barca at the start of the season, and he has since won over hearts in the Catalan city with his impressive attacking style of play. He notably led the club to a 4-1 win over Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League on October 23 at the Olimpic Lluis Companys. He will hope he can follow that up with a win at the Bernabeu.