{"id":4868,"date":"2026-10-24T13:18:16","date_gmt":"2026-10-24T13:18:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/?p=4868"},"modified":"2026-10-24T13:18:16","modified_gmt":"2026-10-24T13:18:16","slug":"rodri-hernandez-ready-for-first-el-clasico-as-barcelona-face-real-madrid","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/2026\/10\/24\/rodri-hernandez-ready-for-first-el-clasico-as-barcelona-face-real-madrid\/sports\/","title":{"rendered":"Rodri Hernandez Ready for First El Clasico as Barcelona Face Real Madrid"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Rodri Hernandez says Barcelona remain mentally prepared for Sunday\u2019s El Clasico against Real Madrid despite their recent defeat to Paris Saint-Germain, as the midfielder prepares to experience one of football\u2019s biggest rivalries for the first time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speaking to DAZN during a media day on Friday, October 23, Rodri described his return to Spanish football as an opportunity to play in matches that attract worldwide attention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a great joy to return to Spanish football and experience a Cl\u00e1sico, given its worldwide significance,\u201d he said, as reported by Mundo Deportivo<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The midfielder added that the global audience surrounding El Clasico gives players a special opportunity to showcase their abilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rodri wary of Real Madrid<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Rodri expects Real Madrid to approach the match with determination, despite Barcelona\u2019s recent advantage in their head-to-head record.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMadrid have a different style of play from ours, but the competitive spirit is always there, especially in matches of this magnitude, so we expect Real Madrid to give everything,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He also pointed to Madrid\u2019s recent record against Barcelona, saying their desire to reverse that trend could make them particularly motivated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI think they\u2019ve won only one of the last six or seven Cl\u00e1sicos, so they\u2019ll be eager to put that right,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rodri also praised Jose Mourinho\u2019s managerial influence, describing him as a coach with a strong personality and a distinctive philosophy who raises the competitive level of the teams he leads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Barcelona focused after PSG setback<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Barcelona head into the encounter following their defeat to PSG in Paris, but Rodri insisted the result had not weakened the team\u2019s determination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s true that we\u2019re coming off that setback in Paris, but our mentality remains intact, and we\u2019re determined to keep doing things well,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The match will also draw attention to Rodri following reports that he had been a transfer target for Real Madrid before ultimately joining Barcelona.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With both clubs seeking to assert themselves in the rivalry, Rodri\u2019s first El Clasico will provide an important test as Barcelona look to respond to their recent setback.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Rodri Hernandez says Barcelona remain mentally prepared for Sunday\u2019s El Clasico against Real Madrid despite their recent defeat to Paris Saint-Germain, as the midfielder prepares […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4869,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[43,28,41,36,27,40],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4868","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-current_affairs","category-entertainment","category-hot_topics","category-international","category-sports","category-top_stories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4868","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4868"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4868\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4870,"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4868\/revisions\/4870"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4869"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4868"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4868"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4868"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}