Gerard Piqué Aims Dig at Real Madrid Boss Santiago Solari Ahead of El Clásico
Barcelona ace Gerard Piqué has hit out at Real Madrid boss Santiago Solari, ahead of Wednesday evening's hotly anticipated El Clásico clash in the Copa del Rey.
Solari had previously complained about his side having a day less rest than Barcelona ahead of the second leg of the semi-final, with his side set to take on Levante in La Liga on Sunday afternoon, while Barça played on Saturday. The cup tie is delicately poised, after the fierce adversaries played out a 1-1 draw at the Camp Nou in the first leg.
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Speaking ahead of the clash, via Sport, Pique stoked up the rivalry between the two sides, mocking Solari's comments with a sly dig. He said: "The last time they (Real) had one day more rest than us we won 5-1. I know they're looking forward to facing us. They will be really up for it but we will do everything possible to reach the cup final.
"Then, winning the league game (next Saturday) wouldn't decide the title, but it would make a huge statement if we won."
After defeating Sevilla in a 4-2 thriller on Saturday, Barcelona moved ten points clear at the top of La Liga. Los Blancos are currently 12 points off the pace, but could close the gap to nine points with a win at Levante. Solari's side have clearly not given up their hopes of catching Barça, and a couple of big wins over the Catalans would be a real boost to their chances.
Meanwhile, Barcelona manager Ernesto Valverde branded club talisman Lionel Messi as the 'world's best', following their win over Sevilla. The Argentine ace bagged a 50th career hat-trick in the match, and his spellbinding performance saw his side come back from being 2-1 down at half-time to earn an emphatic victory.
