Gary Lineker Hoping Barcelona Defeat Real Madrid In El Clasico

Former Barcelona striker Gary Lineker has declared El Clasico between the Blaugrana and Real Madrid is more than just a game of football and also said that he hopes Barca defeat Los Merengues on Sunday.

Lineker had a successful spell at Camp Nou in the late eighties, scoring 43 goals in 103 Primera Liga games for the Catalans, including a hat-trick in his first meeting with Madrid, which ended in a 3-2 victory for Barca.

"I have good memories of the matches I played against Real Madrid, especially the first time at Camp Nou because I scored a hat-trick with two goals in the first five minutes of the game," he said, as quoted by AS.

"It's amazing to see 120,000 fans cheering. It's more than just a football match and cannot be compared with any other game. There is still a feeling of Franco's oppression on the Catalans, who once felt that the only place where they could safely speak Catalan was in the stadium.

"These are two of the largest and most successful teams in football and it's a pleasure to see them play. I have always supported Barcelona, especially against Real Madrid, so I hope they win."