![\"'El](\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/thumb\/msid-130986292,imgsize-78660,width-400,height-225,resizemode-4\/spain-soccer-la-liga.jpg\" "\\"Barcelona's")
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nFrenkie de Jong flashed his pearly whites as he sat in the interview room, dressed in Barcelona\u2019s training blue with bright yellow trims. It was an assured look of a player, aware that history is one match away.This Sunday night, Hansi Flick\u2019s Barcelona can clinch the league crown against their eternal rivals, Real Madrid, in a Clasico that means much more than bragging rights. Such an occasion has never arisen in La Liga\u2019s 97-year-old history.<\/p>\n Watch<\/span><\/p>\n Exclusive: Aymeric Laporte previews Athletic Bilbao vs Barcelona | La Liga<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n The grand episode is set to unfold at the refurbished Camp Nou, which will stage its first Clasico in more than 1,000 days. In the Oct Bernabeu meeting between the clubs, Madrid\u2019s victory had opened a five-point gap at the top of the table. Now Barcelona lead by 11, needing only a draw to secure the championship with only 4 matches to play.\u201cThe approach is the same because we always prepare to win,\u201d De Jong said. \u201cBut of course, the feeling is different. It\u2019s El Clasico, and now it\u2019s even more special because we can win La Liga.\u201dThe momentum has shifted sharply since those early months of the season. Madrid enter the weekend amid turbulence with coaching uncertainty, internal clashes, and indifferent form, while Barcelona are bouncing on belief.\u201cThere are moments in a season where a team grows,\u201d De Jong said. \u201cI think we are more reliable now than we were at the beginning. We\u2019ve always had quality, but form, injuries and availability matter. Madrid has a great team, but maybe they are not in their best moment right now. We focus on ourselves.\u201dIn matches of this magnitude, the midfield may determine the outcome, and Barcelona\u2019s lack of a defensive fulcrum in the nature of Sergio Busquets is a recurring point of discussion. Especially with exits in the semis and quarters of the Champions League<\/a> in consecutive seasons, despite showing promise.De Jong dismissed the notion that Barcelona lack balance in the centre. \u201cWe have a great midfield,\u201d he said. \u201cInjuries always affect a team, but one of our strengths is depth and versatility in that area.\u201dHowever, he acknowledged the lingering frustration in Europe. \u201cThe Champions League was disappointing because we thought we could go further,\u201d he said. \u201cBut overall, we\u2019ve had a good season. We\u2019ve scored many goals, we have a lot of points in Liga, and winning the league requires consistency more than anything. Because of Europe, maybe the season hasn\u2019t been great, but it has been good.\u201dAt only 28, De Jong has quietly become Barcelona\u2019s longest-serving first-team player (318 matches) and the Dutchman with the most appearances in club history, extending a lineage deeply tied to the Netherlands and influential figures like Johan Cruyff.His own career has been interrupted at times by injury. Now he finds himself guiding a younger generation, particularly Lamine Yamal, whose rapid ascent has brought both acclaim and scrutiny off the field. A hamstrung Yamal will miss Sunday\u2019s match, and this season has been undermined by concerns over his ongoing \u2018pubalgia\u2019 condition despite his starry performances.\u201cI think he should continue exactly as he is,\u201d De Jong said. \u201cHe should enjoy football the way he always has. If he keeps doing that, I believe he will have a great career, and that will also be beneficial for us.\u201dAcross the divide stands Kylian Mbappe, whose second season in Madrid has prompted waves of criticism from Los Blancos fans despite his high turnover of 41 goals from 41 matches.De Jong was measured in his assessment. \u201cMbappe is one of the best players in the world,\u201d he said. \u201cWhen he plays, Madrid are stronger. But football can be very reactionary. One result or action changes everything in people\u2019s minds.\u201dFor the silent orchestrator, though, the game\u2019s larger truth remains unchanged. \u201cIt\u2019s not really about individuals,\u201d he said. \u201cBoth teams have great players. What decides matches now is teamwork and hard work.\u201dAnd if Barcelona complete the task against Real?\u201cIt\u2019s not over yet,\u201d De Jong said, smiling again. \u201cBut I hope Sunday will become my favourite moment of the season.\u201d(Watch El Clasico LIVE and exclusively on FanCode from 00.30 hrs on May 11 )<\/span><\/div>\n