Friday, May 1, 2009

Raul confident of El Clasico win

REAL MADRID v BARCELONA, Primera Division
Venue: Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid Date: Saturday, 2 May Kick-off: 1900 BST
Coverage: Live text commentary on the BBC Sport website from 1830 BST


Real captain Raul (left) and Barca superstar Lionel Messi
Real's Raul (left) and Barca's Lionel Messi go head-to-head in Madrid

Real Madrid captain Raul is confident they can cut Barcelona's lead at the top of La Liga to one point when they meet in El Clasico on Saturday.

Real trail Barca by four points with five games left ahead of their meeting at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium.

"We are playing in the Bernabeu and Madrid have to be the favourites - the atmosphere will help us," said Raul.

"This game is always special, but it is obvious we are playing for the title, which will make it even more special."

Barcelona have led La Liga for almost the entire season, scoring a remarkable 94 goals in their 33 games.

But Real have not lost a domestic fixture since a 2-0 defeat at the Camp Nou in the reverse fixture in December and Barca's 2-2 draw at Valencia last week allowed Juande Ramos's side to close the gap.

606: DEBATE

"If we win on Saturday then we will have a greater chance of the title," added Raul. "But anything other than a victory would make things difficult for us.

"Barcelona have a great team. I know that teams are judged on trophies, but this is one of the best in their history."

Barca forward Lionel Messi thinks victory for the Catalans would provide a timely boost ahead of their Champions League semi-final second leg at Chelsea next week.

"Let's hope we can win in Madrid and that will be a big step toward winning the title," said the Argentine, who has scored 20 league goals this season.

"If we win, we'll be able to go to Chelsea next week feeling more relaxed.

"We are a very close-knit team and are all very motivated to win a title for Barca after two years without one."

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