Karim Benzema makes stunning claim about Lionel Messi ahead of El Clasico

Sripad
Joan Laporte is inaugurated as new FC Barcelona President
Joan Laporte is inaugurated as new FC Barcelona President

Karim Benzema is the latest Real Madrid superstar to come out and heap praise on Lionel Messi. The Frenchman believes the Argentine is the driving force behind Barcelona, and Los Blancos need to be careful of the superstar's threat.

Real Madrid take on Barcelona in El Clasico this weekend in what could make or break either club's title chances. The winner will go top of the table for the time being as Atletico Madrid play later on Sunday night.

Karim Benzema was talking to La Liga TV ahead of the Clasico when he praised Lionel Messi. The Frenchman wants his team-mates to be careful in the game as the Barcelona star does everything for his side and could be the difference-maker. The Real Madrid striker said:

"They always have possession, they have a good goalkeeper and Lionel Messi, the player who does everything for Barcelona. We have to be careful because he is very dangerous."

Sergio Ramos praises Lionel Messi ahead of Real Madrid vs Barcelona

Karim Benzema is not the first Real Madrid star to speak highly of Lionel Messi today. Sergio Ramos also recently spoke positively of the Barcelona captain and made a stunning claim as well. The Spanish international believes Real Madrid would have won a lot more trophies during his time at the club if it wasn't for the Argentine at Barcelona.

In his documentary series The Legend of Sergio Ramos, the Real Madrid captain said:

"We've suffered against Lionel Messi during these years. Perhaps if Barcelona didn't have him, we would have won more titles. There was a time when we faced the best Barcelona in history. We had a great coach like [Jose] Mourinho, but it was hard for us to beat them. We didn't win much and there was a lot of tension, caused by either them or by us."

Barcelona are on a terrific run right now and have won their last 5 matches. They are just a point below Atletico Madrid, who have let their lead slip, and Ronald Koeman's men can go on top of the table with a win against Los Blancos.

Real Madrid will be desperate for a win on Saturday as they could easily fall out of the title race with a loss. A win would see them go joint top, but more importantly, would also give them a morale-boosting victory over arch-rivals Barcelona.

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Edited by Parimal