Joan García is already thinking about next Sunday's eagerly awaited Clásico against Real Madrid. Barcelona's goalkeeper heads into the game in high spirits, having never lost to Los Blancos.
This will be García's third meeting with the Royal Club in a Barça shirt. He got the better of them in last season's Spanish Super Cup final, which his side won 3-2, and again in the last league meeting, a 2-0 win that sealed the La Liga title for the Catalans.
Barcelona's goalkeeper spoke at the open media day before the trip to face José Mourinho's side, delivering a message full of confidence and ambition on the club's official channel. Fresh from the recent defeat to Paris Saint-Germain, he insisted the team had turned the page and were ready for one of the toughest and most important games of the season.
"We are in a good place, and we are looking forward to Sunday's match," García told Spanish newspaper "Mundo Deportivo", admitting the defeat in Paris had not been part of the plan.
He went on: "We wanted to win in Paris, it was a difficult match, but the good thing about playing a match every three days is the ability to focus quickly on the next clash".
Result aside, García praised the "competitive spirit" Barcelona showed against the European champions, pointing to the chance to draw "positive conclusions from the match to learn and correct mistakes".
The goalkeeper played down the idea of landing a decisive blow in the title race this early in the season. The Clásico always carries a special weight, all the more so with Barcelona six points clear of their traditional rivals, yet García was quick to stress the road is still long. "Titles are not decided in October, and it would be a mistake to think we have already settled matters," he said. "We respect our opponent and look forward to delivering a great match and winning the Clásico on our pitch".
On an individual level, García reserved praise for his Belgian counterpart Thibaut Courtois, whom he rates as "one of the best goalkeepers in the world". Even so, he preferred to focus on the collective rather than any duel between stars. "Sunday is a clash between Barcelona and Madrid, not Courtois against Joan or Mbappé against Lamine," he stressed.
He expects a hugely dangerous Real Madrid, given the attacking firepower of Kylian Mbappé, Yan Diomande, Arda Güler and Jude Bellingham. He is equally confident in Barcelona's own approach. "They can cause a lot of damage up front, but these are the kind of matches we prefer, and we also know what we want to do and how we will play," the goalkeeper added.
Beyond the Clásico, Joan talked up Barcelona's potential across the whole season, a side with ambitions on all three fronts. The new signings and the collective performance have delivered just one defeat in 12 official matches and a perfect league record. That gives real grounds for optimism, though consistency, he insisted, is the true key. "I am happy with the team and the way we play, and the most important thing is to maintain this level," he said.
The aim stays the same: compete for every title until the very last breath. "We have a team capable of winning everything, and we have shown our ability to compete against any team, and our goal is to be there strongly in every competition until the final whistle," García said.
He put the UEFA Champions League on the same footing as the Spanish league and the Copa del Rey. "We have the right squad for all three competitions, and this is the main objective: to believe in ourselves, work hard, and strive to achieve it," he added.