'I'll motivate him' - Sergio Ramos sends message to red-hot Kylian Mbappe ahead of Real Madrid's crucial Clasico clash with Barcelona

The first Clasico of the 2025-26 season takes place on Sunday as Barcelona travel to the Bernabeu to take on Real Madrid. The Catalan giants won all four meetings against their bitter rivals last season, meaning revenge will certainly be in Madrid minds ahead of the match. Real Madrid lead Barca by two points ahead of kick-off but know that victory will extend that gap and give Los Blancos a boost in the title race. However, another victory for Barca will see Flick's side move top again and strengthen their hopes of retaining their league title.

One man who knows all about El Clasico is Ramos who played in the famous fixture 43 times during his incredible career with Real Madrid. The defender, who now plys his trade in Liga MX with Monterrey, is looking forward to the fixture and expects Mbappe to shine. He told El Chiringuito: "You know very well that I am a Real Madrid until death and I hope that Madrid wins, that my brother 'Kyky' plays a good game. I will motivate him. I often speak with him, he is at the top level, I hope he will have a great match and that the three points will stay at home."

Ramos also spoke about his own future, with his contract at Monterrey due to expire in December. The former Madrid star says he's enjoying life in Mexico and is eager to stay: "I hope to stay in Mexico, it's a country that treats me wonderfully well."

Mbappe has shone in the early weeks of the season for Real Madrid. He's currently on an eight-game scoring run for Los Blancos and is enjoying the best start to a season in his career. Manager Xabi Alonso has been full of praise for the France international. He told reporters ahead of their Champions League clash with Juve: "Not just the goals. His positive influence on the team is almost as important as his teammates following him with and without the ball. He helps us control games. He's always going to score goals. He's done it everywhere. His vital and personal moment is very good. He's very analytical and intelligent, he does things for reasons, everything fits together in his head now, and that's why he's doing so well."

Meanwhile, Mbappe says Real Madrid are starting to understand what new manager Alonso wants from his team after replacing Carlo Ancelotti at the helm. He told Movistar+: "They're different, two generations of coaches who have crossed paths. Ancelotti is one of the best in history. When you arrive, you're happy to play for him; he's always close to the players. Xabi wants to help a lot, but he's younger. He has more need and desire to prove himself with Real Madrid, to achieve things in his first big opportunity at the best club in the world. We're going to try to help him win as many titles as possible. It's an important year for Real Madrid and the national team. We're starting to understand what the manager wants from us, but we have to improve to get where we want to be."

Mbappe may have been on the losing side four times against Barcelona last season, but he still made managed to score five goals in those games. He even bagged a hat-trick in the 4-3 defeat in May, becoming just the third Madrid man ever to manage the feat in an away Clasico after Ferenc Puskas in January 1963 and Karim Benzema in April 2023.

Both Real Madrid and Barcelona have Champions League fixtures to contend with before they can fully focus on El Clasico. Barcelona take on Greek side Olympiacos at Montjuic on Tuesday, while Madrid are up against Juventus on Wednesday night at the Bernabeu.