Sergi Roberto said Barcelona's 4-2 loss at PSG would not affect Sunday's El Clasico against Real Madrid. Flashscore described its interview with Roberto as exclusive.
Roberto on El Clasico
Roberto, the former Barcelona captain, said in an exclusive Flashscore interview: "A match against Real Madrid is a little different from any other match, because, at the end of the day, you’re going up against your eternal rival."
Roberto said: "Since I’m from there, all of my friends and family are Barca fans, and they would always send me special messages during the week to help me win the game. El Clasico is always like a final, where, even if a victory is worth only 3 points, it’s still very special to win."
His view after the PSG defeat
Roberto said: "I listened to my former teammate Rafinha’s statements yesterday: he said that the 4-2 loss at PSG wouldn’t affect the Clasico at all, and I completely agree. They're different competitions and different teams: PSG plays very differently from Real Madrid. I saw the match against PSG, it was incredible: two teams that were always going to do a lot of damage to each other."
Roberto said: "I think the match against Real will be a little bit different: they don't have as much possession as PSG had on Tuesday. They’re different matches, and I don’t expect it to impact the Clasico at all. Barcelona are playing incredible football, and I think they need to approach this match like it’s any other game. This is the path that they have to follow, and I see them doing very well."
LA Galaxy and earlier clubs
Flashscore said Roberto will prepare for his first-ever El Trafico on Sunday for LA Galaxy against LAFC.
Flashscore said Roberto spent nearly two decades at Barcelona and two seasons at Como before joining LA Galaxy.
Roberto said: "I think I helped the team. Como had just been promoted to Serie A with so many players from the second division, so they needed a bit of experience and a little help to make things easier for the team. I also helped the coach, Cesc, who is a great friend of mine, and I tried to help him in every way possible."
Roberto said: "It was a source of pride to take the team from the second division to the Champions League. They're doing things very well, and they just beat Manchester United 4-1 ."
Remembering the PSG goal
Roberto said: "I'm not a player who scores many goals, but I happened to score that comeback goal, which I think was one of the most special moments for not just me, but for all the Barca fans. Everyone always reminds me of it when they see me; when they ask for a photo, they always remember that goal against Paris Saint-Germain."
Roberto said: "It's a source of pride for me that people remember that moment, and without a doubt, it was a super special moment for me."