Dani Carvajal has backed Real Madrid to beat Barcelona when it really matters during the 2023/24 season after a heavy pre-season defeat to the Blaugrana.
Real Madrid were well beaten by their El Clasico rivals on Saturday night, losing 3-0 in Dallas, Texas, thanks to goals from Ousmane Dembele, Fermin Lopez and Ferran Torres.
Speaking after the game to the press, Real Madrid captain on the night Carvajal was keen to insist that the thumping loss will not be a reflection of what will happen in competitive games during the upcoming campaign.
"Losing against Barcelona isn't pleasant, but you have to know the moment we are in, what the game means," he explained.
"I am convinced that in official competition, we are going to finish on top. We had chances, five [shots hit the] crossbars, we missed a penalty... don't worry, when the moment of truth arrives, we will come out on top."
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The full-back also gave an insight into why Real Madrid struggled to convert chances against Barça, admitting it will take time before they fully get to grips with Carlo Ancelotti's new tactical setup.
The departure of iconic striker Karim Benzema, coupled with the expensive arrival of midfielder Jude Bellingham, has seen Ancelotti switch away from the famous 4-3-3 formation in favour of a 4-1-2-1-2, and Carvajal admitted Real Madrid are not yet up to speed.
"The final score shows how accurate both teams were, but I believe we did some things fairly well and we can draw some positives from this match," he began.
"We’re getting used to a new system and we weren’t very accurate in front of goal. Their last two goals caught us trying to go all-in, but we had some good moments in this game."
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This article was originally published on 90min as Dani Carvajal sends warning to Barcelona after El Clasico friendly defeat.