Thirteen days before the eagerly awaited clash at the Camp Nou, former Real Madrid star Jose Maria Gutierrez "Guti" lit the fuse ahead of the first Clasico of the 2026-2027 season with provocative comments that shook Barcelona, saying that the league leaders will not be able to crush Los Blancos, and challenging the Blaugrana over their eternal hang-up: the Champions League.
A fiery message before the Clasico
Barcelona host Real Madrid on Sunday 25 October at the Camp Nou, and the debate has already started early.
On paper, the hosts hold a clear advantage. They sit top of the table, six points clear of fourth-placed Real Madrid, with a goal difference of +16 in the Blaugrana's favour.
Those numbers did not sway Guti, who dropped a shock line on the famous programme "El Chiringuito": "It is obvious that Barcelona will not crush Real Madrid."
The former midfielder did not stop there, instead issuing a direct challenge to his old rivals: "Barcelona are missing the Champions League title, let's see whether they are capable of competing for it."
Six titles against Catalan calm
Guti backed up his point by arguing that Barcelona, so far this season, "have not come up against any side who can compete with them, like Paris Saint-Germain or Real Madrid". The real test, he reckons, is still to come.
Six Champions League titles in recent years for the white shirts was the figure he reached for, and it remains a hang-up in Catalonia.
Even so, Guti did not deny his old rivals' strength, acknowledging that Barcelona possess aspects that set them apart from Real Madrid, saying: "They are a great team and they have a calm that Real Madrid lack."
He added in a striking analysis: "They attract players from abroad, and when they perform well and win, they look better than they actually are."
The secret of Real Madrid's strength
By contrast, Guti revealed the secret of Real Madrid's strength, in which he still believes, saying: "I have noticed a strong sense of unity at Real Madrid, and even if they lose three matches, they will carry on in the same manner."
His words have turned up the heat before the eagerly awaited Clasico. The pressure now sits with the league leaders to prove they are not merely domestic champions, but genuine contenders for the European throne occupied by their eternal rivals.