"Of course they're worried," Gavi told AS on 1/8. "We won four consecutive El Clasico matches last season, which had never happened before, so it's understandable that they're worried. After all, Barca played brilliantly last season, and they didn't win anything."

Gavi (left) confronts Vinicius during Real Madrid's 0-4 loss to Barcelona in La Liga last season. Photo: EFE

In the 2024-2025 season, Gavi and his teammates achieved a domestic treble. They defeated Real Madrid 4-0 and 4-3 in La Liga, 5-2 in the Spanish Super Cup final, and 3-2 in the Copa del Rey final.

After finishing last season without a major trophy for the first time since 2021, Real Madrid began investing heavily in new players. They spent 207 million USD this summer to bring right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold, center-back Dean Huijsen, left-back Alvaro Carreras, and midfielder Franco Mastantuono to the Bernabeu. Real Madrid also brought back Xabi Alonso from Leverkusen to replace Carlo Ancelotti as head coach. However, building a winning team and competing for titles remains a challenge. In the Club World Cup semi-final in early July, Alonso's team lost 0-4 to PSG.

"Honestly, Real Madrid is stronger with some quality players," Gavi added. "But let's see what they can do next season. They have a great squad, but we just need to be ourselves, and that's enough."

This summer, Barcelona spent 32 million USD to acquire goalkeeper Joan Garcia and right-winger Roony Bardghji. Left-winger Marcus Rashford joined on a one-season loan from Manchester United. Gavi believes the three new players will contribute positively to Barcelona's performance, especially Rashford. In two pre-season matches, the former Manchester United star contributed an assist and a pre-assist, while Bardghji scored a goal.

Among the existing players, Gavi continues to place the greatest faith in Lamine Yamal. Last season, the 18-year-old forward scored 18 goals and provided 25 assists in 55 matches for Barcelona.

"Yamal is a great player and is improving every day," Gavi said about Yamal. "He has to continue that form and spirit. If he doesn't win the Ballon d'Or this year, he will win many more awards in the future."

On 4/8, Barcelona will play a friendly match against Daegu in South Korea. On 10/8, they will return to Spain to compete for the Joan Gamper Trophy against Como. On 16/8, the defending La Liga champions will begin their title defense at Mallorca.

Thanh Quy (according to AS)