Lionel Messi news: We are not scared of Messi, Los Blancos star claims Real Madrid are ready for El Clásico

What's the story?

Barcelona captain Lionel Messi has been hailed as an incredible player by Real Madrid youngster Vinicius Junior, but at the same time, he explicitly claimed that his club have the best players in the world and Messi does not scare them, according to Goal.

The biggest fixture in Spanish football, if not the whole world is the clash of two quintessential LaLiga powerhouses Real Madrid and Barcelona, which is better known as El Clasico.

And luckily for us, two encounters between the teams are scheduled in the next week, with one being a very important second leg fixture of Copa del Rey at Santiago Bernebau and the other equally vital top of the table clash at the same venue.

In case you didn't know...

The Copa del Rey semi-final second leg fixture will be the third Clasico of the season.

Barcelona absolutely destroyed Los Blancos in their first meeting of the season with a 5-1 drubbing of the reigning European champions, which led to a swift sacking of their previous manager Julen Lopetegui.

Argentine talisman Messi is the all-time leading goalscorer in the fixture's history with 26 goals to his name and has also delivered the most assists in El Clásico history, with 14 so far.

Vinicius Jr, on the other hand, will be playing in only his second Clasico if he starts. He has been crucial in Madrid's semi-final run in the competition and has scored 2 goals and set up 6 more for his teammates in 7 starts.

The heart of the matter...

Brazilian teenage striker Vinicius Jr was talking to reporters before the giants lock horns in midweek and said that he is excited to be a part of the historic fixture. He said: (Via Goal.com)

“We're ready for El Clasico."

“I can't wait to play in it, it's a very important match. Every player would love to be involved in a Clasico!”

Commenting on the five-time Ballon d'Or winner Messi's significance in the match, who is in red-hot form for the Blaugrana right now, he said that the Argentine is an incredible player, but he doesn't scare Madrid players, who are the best in the world. He added:

“Messi is always there. He's an incredible player but we aren't scared of anybody. We're ready and have the best players in the world.”

What's next?

With two El Clasicos in the upcoming week, it remains to be whether Barca progress to the final of the competition they have won 30 times in their history, paving the way for another unprecedented treble.