Marcus Rashford has declared he is primed and ready for Sunday’s eagerly anticipated El Clasico showdown. La Liga heavyweights Barcelona and Real Madrid will lock horns for the first time this campaign, with merely two points dividing them in the standings.
Madrid currently occupy top spot and will welcome their fierce rivals to the iconic Santiago Bernabeu Stadium. Xabi Alonso’s side have recovered impressively from their humbling 5-2 defeat against Atletico Madrid late last month, stringing together four consecutive victories across all competitions whilst conceding just once and finding the net ten times.
Barcelona, by contrast, suffered a crushing 4-1 defeat to Sevilla in their final outing before the international break, a setback which saw them slip to second place.
Nevertheless, they have responded emphatically since returning to action, edging past Girona courtesy of a dramatic 93rd-minute winner last weekend before dismantling Olympiacos 6-1 in the Champions League.
Rashford bagged the fourth and sixth strikes in that encounter, his first goals since netting what ultimately proved a mere consolation against Sevilla.
The England international posted afterwards: “Amazing night at home. What a TEAM! !”
Bruno Fernandes responded with a star-struck emoji, as did Andre Onana, who preceded his reaction with the message: “Rashyyyyyy”.
Then, on Friday, Rashford shared snaps from training accompanied by the caption “All set for Sunday.”
Numerous United team-mates showed their support by liking his latest update, including Ayden Heaven, Diogo Dalot, Ethan Wheatley, JJ Gabriel, Joe Hugill, Joshua Zirkzee, Kai Rooney, Leny Yoro and Lisandro Martinez.
Rashford has also shared this week: “It’s not a long career, and the first thing you’re going to miss when you retire is this type of match,” and when asked about his future, he responded: “I hope to be here for a long time.”
When questioned about Rashford, Barcelona boss Hansi Flick added: “He’s very quick, he combines with his team-mates well and with confidence, and he’s only going to go from strength to strength as he understands them better. He is already delivering 100 per cent of what I expect from him.”
