- The Brazilian is now at Orlando City, but will be paying close attention to events at Camp Nou and believes Zinedine Zidane's charges can win if they play their best football
Julio Baptista believes Real Madrid can win Saturday's Clasico, but it will take a superhuman effort to take down Barcelona.
The former Brazil international, now at MLS franchise Orlando City, played at Santiago Bernabeu for two seasons, and while his record at the club was far from spectacular he did score a wonderful goal at Camp Nou to beat the Catalans.
As his old employers prepare for the clash against La Liga's runaway leaders, Baptista admitted they will need something special to get a result.
"It is amazing to play a Clasico, the tension overflows. You imagine how the game will go, but you never know what will happen. Right now if you are not in perfect condition against Barcelona you will not win.
"You have to have something extra, the players have to have the ambition to play better than Barcelona. But in every aspect.
"I think Madrid have to play to their strengths. If they can do that, they have a chance. But the problem is that the way Barcelona are playing right now, if you do not play at 150 or 130% it will be very tough. Barcelona play at an extremely high level, with quick touches and they do not give you any time.
"They also have players that make the difference one-on-one when they have the ball, like Messi or Neymar, who can get past you."
While the Liga title looks an unlikely goal for Zinedine Zidane's men, Baptista believes a win could set them on the right track for the rest of the season.
"Real Madrid, as they are right now, could really use a great game at Camp Nou, to pick up confidence and confirm they are working in the right direction. Zinedine Zidane's task of picking up a team in the middle of a season is very difficult," he said.
"It is tough to introduce your methods and have them work out straight away. You need time, time for everything to develop. There is always so much pressure around Real Madrid, they hate to lose.
"The fans are not prepared for that, they are only happy to win and play well, but in football it is not always that easy and things do not always go to plan.
"As I see it Barcelona have a team that has managed to strike a brilliant balance over the last 7-9 years, and they have one advantage over other teams: they have played together for a long time and understand each other."
Julio Baptista believes Real Madrid can win Saturday's Clasico, but it will take a superhuman effort to take down Barcelona.
The former Brazil international, now at MLS franchise Orlando City, played at Santiago Bernabeu for two seasons, and while his record at the club was far from spectacular he did score a wonderful goal at Camp Nou to beat the Catalans.
As his old employers prepare for the clash against La Liga's runaway leaders, Baptista admitted they will need something special to get a result.
"It is amazing to play a Clasico, the tension overflows. You imagine how the game will go, but you never know what will happen. Right now if you are not in perfect condition against Barcelona you will not win.
"You have to have something extra, the players have to have the ambition to play better than Barcelona. But in every aspect.
"I think Madrid have to play to their strengths. If they can do that, they have a chance. But the problem is that the way Barcelona are playing right now, if you do not play at 150 or 130% it will be very tough. Barcelona play at an extremely high level, with quick touches and they do not give you any time.
"They also have players that make the difference one-on-one when they have the ball, like Messi or Neymar, who can get past you."
While the Liga title looks an unlikely goal for Zinedine Zidane's men, Baptista believes a win could set them on the right track for the rest of the season.
"Real Madrid, as they are right now, could really use a great game at Camp Nou, to pick up confidence and confirm they are working in the right direction. Zinedine Zidane's task of picking up a team in the middle of a season is very difficult," he said.
"It is tough to introduce your methods and have them work out straight away. You need time, time for everything to develop. There is always so much pressure around Real Madrid, they hate to lose.
"The fans are not prepared for that, they are only happy to win and play well, but in football it is not always that easy and things do not always go to plan.
"As I see it Barcelona have a team that has managed to strike a brilliant balance over the last 7-9 years, and they have one advantage over other teams: they have played together for a long time and understand each other."
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