“Very difficult to stop”, “Extremely difficult to play against” - Barcelona midfielder Pedri reserves special praise for 2 Real Madrid stars

Barcelona midfielder Pedri has heaped praise on Real Madrid stars Jude Bellingham and Kylian Mbappe in his latest interview. Both clubs share a historic rivalry, but it has seldom stopped players from either in recognizing the positives of the other team.

Pedri has faced Jude Bellingham in six games across competitions, all of which were Clasicos. The Spaniard has won four times against Bellingham, losing the remaining two times. Meanwhile, he has played against Kylian Mbappe nine times, four of which were Clasicos. He won all four Clasicos against the Frenchman with an overall 6-1-2 record in wins-draws-losses. Notably, all four Clasicos Pedri won against the two Real Madrid stalwarts came last season.

In an interview with France Football (h/t Mundo Deportivo), Pedri spoke highly of two of his notable opponents, Jude Bellingham and Kylian Mbappe. The Barcelona youngster said:

"Real Madrid have a lot of very good players. When Mbappe has the ball and is in a one-on-one situation, it’s very difficult to stop him. And Jude Bellingham is truly incredible. He combines physical strength with technical skill, which makes him extremely difficult to play against."

In the previous season, Barcelona won all four Clasicos against their bitter rivals, including two in LaLiga and two other finals - the Copa del Rey and the Supercopa de España. Pedri was present for all of these wins, and notably scored once in the 3-2 win in the Copa del Rey final.

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When Barcelona star Gavi claimed Real Madrid are worried after losing four Clasicos last season

Gavi, Vinicius, and Jules Kounde - Source: Getty

In an interview with Diario AS, Barcelona midfielder Gavi claimed Real Madrid did not win anything despite being spectacular last season. He indicated that their archrivals are worried after four consecutive Clasico losses, adding:

"Of course they were worried. It was four out of four, and that's never happened before. And it's understandable that they're worried. In the end, we were spectacular last season and they didn't win anything. This year they've reinforced themselves with some very good players, to be honest, but we'll see what they'll do this season. They have a great team, but we have to be ourselves, and that's it."

Both LaLiga giants have made important signings this season to reinforce their squad. Barca have signed Marcus Rashford and Roony Bardghji as attackers, alongside goalkeeper Joan Garcia from Espanyol. Meanwhile, Real Madrid brought in defenders Dean Huijsen and Trent Alexander-Arnold. They also signed Argentine forward Franco Mastantuono this summer.

After four consecutive losses, Los Blancos will change their ways with new coach Xabi Alonso on the helm. It remains to be seen whether Barca can continue their winning streak against their historic rivals or the Merengues make a comeback next season.