Marcus Rashford issues bold claim ahead of El Clasico

Marcus Rashford has made a bold statement about earning a starting spot for Barcelona in their upcoming Clasico against Real Madrid.

Rashford gave the Blaugrana faithful a taste of his quality in a starring performance against Olympiacos in the Champions League on Tuesday (October 22) at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys, netting a brace and winning a vital penalty.

The England international scored twice at the near post; first from close-range and then from outside the penalty area, as Barcelona cantered to a dominant 6-2 win.

He has now scored in two of his three Champions League appearances for Barcelona, recording five goal contributions across those games – joint-highest in the competition alongside Kylian Mbappe and Anthony Gordon.

Rashford relishing Clasico challenge

After his heroics on Tuesday, Rashford is eyeing a starting role in Sunday’s heavyweight clash, with Barcelona dealing with a raft of injuries.

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“This could be my best performance with Barca,” Rashford said following the win over Olympiacos.

“I’m ready to bring out the best in me, for the team. I prefer to play on the wing, but I don’t care. I intend to help and do the best I can.

“The Clasico is a great game and that’s why I’ve come here, for this number of games. I am looking forward to it, I hope we win.

“This is a very good team to enjoy your football in. I’m pleased with the performance today, especially in the second half.”

Barcelona have bounced back from a dip in form prior to the international break, with a dramatic, confidence-boosting win over Girona in La Liga keeping them just two points off leaders Madrid.

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Rashford also emphasized the squad’s attacking confidence, which will be crucial against a more defensively resolute Madrid this season.

“The manager is very demanding of us,” he continued. “The intensity is one of the main things.

“Not only the intensity but the intent to go and score goals; this is what we need to kill teams off.

“Of course, we’re going to come up against teams where it is difficult to break them down, but with this team, we have so many goals coming from different areas of the pitch.

“Scoring goals is the least of our worries. So we’ll just try and build on this performance today.”

Barcelona travel to the Santiago Bernabeu on Sunday, October 26 for the first Clasico of the season.

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