Saturday, October 23, 2021 at 13:42• Mart Oude Nijeweeme • Last update: 13:42

Ronald Koeman previewed Sunday afternoon’s LaLiga cracker between Barcelona and Real Madrid. The trainer received good news in the run-up to el Classico, as it has been announced that Jordi Alba is fit enough to be part of the match selection. The defender suffered a slightly sprained ankle against Dinamo Kiev. The injured Ousmane Dembélé, Martin Braithwaite, Pedri and Ronald Araújo are missing from the 23-man list.

Koeman emphasizes that the duel with Real is an important one, but that there is still a long way to go. “The match against Bayern Munich was a different story,” emphasizes Koeman. “But it is true that we can show that we are on the right track. The result is important. We have to play without fear. We have to show that we can win and we have to radiate that desire from the first whistle. I hope especially that the stadium is full, the atmosphere is great and people can enjoy themselves.”

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— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) October 23, 2021

As is almost customary, this time too, he was asked about his confidence in his performance. “I don’t know whether people have mistrust,” said the Dutchman. “We certainly don’t. We know what we can do and we want to show it. For a Classico there is no clear favorite. We play at home, we have our own supporters. I don’t have that fear. We want to show once again that we have a good team. We are more or less evenly matched. There are details they are better at and details we are better at.”

According to Koeman, Alba is fit enough to play against Real. The coach did not want to say anything about a possible starting place for Ansu Fati. The attacker was allowed to rest against Kiev and left out of the base. He saw his place in the vanguard taken by Luuk de Jong. “He is a player who shows a lot,” Koeman says about Fati. “He’s on the right track. Ansu needs to be left alone so he can recover and get the fitness and rhythm that every player needs. We shouldn’t think that he is. It’s just Ansu, part of the team .”