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What's the story?
Real Madrid youngster, Vinicius Junior, has claimed that Los Blancos are not afraid of facing Lionel Messi before their upcoming clashes against arch-rivals Barcelona.
In case you didn't know...
Real Madrid will take on arch-rivals Barcelona in back to back fixtures- one in the Copa Del Rey Semi Final second leg and another in the La Liga.
Lionel Messi is enjoying another sensational campaign with Barcelona and his hat-trick against Sevilla last weekend depicts his majestic impact on the pitch.
The 31-year-old Argentine is the leading goalscorer in the La Liga with 25 goals and has already scored over 30 goals for Barcelona in all competitions. He is also the leading scorer in an 'El Clasico' with 26 goals.
Meanwhile, Vinicius Junior is playing a pivotal role up front for Real Madrid in his first season at the club.
The 18-year-old Brazilian has been key to Los Blancos' turnaround from a terrible start to the 2018/19 season. He has provided 12 assists in all competitions for Real Madrid and forged strong chemistry with Karim Benzema on the pitch.
The heart of the matter
The Brazilian youngster claimed that his side won't fear coming up against Leo Messi as they get ready for two clashes with arch-rivals Barcelona.
In an interview with the Spanish media outlet, Sport, the young winger said, "We're ready for El Clasico. There's two in one week and we know all football fans look forward to them. I can't wait to play in it, it's a very important match. Every player would love to be involved in a Clasico!"
"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.", he concluded when asked about Leo Messi.
What's next?
Los Blancos are nine points behind Barcelona in the league, they will surely look to reach the finals of Copa Del Rey by beating their arch-rivals.
The tie is evenly poised after the first leg which ended in a 1-1 draw but Real Madrid has the away goal advantage so far as they host Barcelona on the Santiago Bernabeu for the second leg.
