It’s much more than Messi and me, says Ronaldo

CRISTIANO RONALDO has sought to play down talk of tonight’s El Clasico being merely a duel being him and ace Lionel Messi.

Ronaldo, 25, has struck 17 times in his last 12 competitive outings for Madrid, while he has netted 51 goals in just 54 appearances for the Spanish giants since his record-breaking £80million move from Manchester United in the summer of 2009.

Messi, 23, has 16 goals in his last 11 appearances — during which streak he scored his sixth hat-trick of 2010 for the club and 150th Barca goal.

The duo are also the leading two scorers in La Liga, with Ronaldo netting 14 compared to Messi’s 13.

It is a mouthwatering prospect to see the superstars go head-to-head in one of the most eagerly-awaited Clasicos in recent times, but Ronaldo insists the focus should not solely be on the of them. When asked his thoughts on the subject, Ronaldo described it as: “silly talk”.

“I don’t see the game as a duel. We are playing 11 against 11, we have to be concerned about everyone,” the Portugal international said.

The match pits the leading two teams in La Liga against each other, with pacesetters Madrid holding a one-point advantage over Barca.

Barcelona defender Gerard Pique insists his side are favourites to win tonight’s Clasico. Pique is now in his third year at Barca and in that time, the Catalans have beaten Madrid in all four meetings.

“A ‘Clasico’ is so even that playing at home always makes the home side more of a favourite — and that’s us this time,” he said.

Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho preferred not to get swept away by the hype surrounding their showdown with Barcelona, pointing out that, while important, there is still a long way to go in the season after tomorrow’s clash at the Nou Camp.

“Every game is important. Every point that you lose could be key at the end. But after tomorrow’s game there will be 25 matches left and there are a lot of points in play and so many factors,” he said. It’s an important game but not decisive.”

Mourinho has become a hate figure at Barca, having continually provoked the Catalan fans and staff. But Pique played down Mourinho’s return and hopes there will be no repeat of the ugly scenes which greeted Luis Figo following his controversial switch from Barca to Madrid in 2000, when the winger was targeted by the Catalan fans and had a pig’s head thrown at him while he was taking a corner.

“Nobody liked the image of the pig’s head at the Nou Camp,” he said. “I hope nothing like that happens.”

Gonzalo Higuain and Sami Khedira are expected to return for Madrid but Kaka and Fernando Gago remain sidelined. Barca defender Gabi Milito is out but Guardiola has an otherwise full-strength squad.