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Barcelona star Ilkay Gundogan has urged his side to dominate possession and take their chances when they clash with Real Madrid in El Clasico.
The Blaugrana are wounded after their devastating exit from the UEFA Champions League to PSG. They suffered a 6-4 loss on aggregate after a hugely controversial 4-1 second-leg defeat at home that saw Ronald Araujo sent off.
Real Madrid had no such problems in their quarterfinal as they knocked out the holders Manchester City. Carlo Ancelotti's men won 4-3 on penalties after a 4-4 draw on aggregate.
Los Blancos are the team to beat in La Liga and are closing in on dethroning Barcelona. Xavi's side trail their arch-rivals by eight points in the title race with seven games left.
Gundogan wants Barca to use their experience in facing Madrid twice this season when they head to the Santiago Bernabeu on Sunday (April 21). He said (via Barca Universal):
"We will play against the same people we faced before. We faced them this season in the first leg of the league and then also in the Super Cup final."
The Catalan giants suffered a 2-1 home loss in La Liga to Madrid (October 28). Jude Bellingham bagged a brace as Ancelotti's men came from behind to win at Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys.
However, Barca were battered and bruised in the El Clasio rivals' Supercopa de Espana final (January 14). They were beaten 4-1 by Los Merengues and played the last 20 minutes with 10 men.
Gundogan feels his side didn't play too poorly in those games but made too many mistakes:
"We weren’t that bad but I think we gave them a lot of very easy chances to score goals, and those are some mistakes that we obviously want to avoid."
The Germany international wants the Blaugrana to control proceedings come Sunday:
"We want to have possession and we want to be patient and take advantage of the chances that we will create."
Madrid can pull 11 points clear at the top of La Liga with a win. This is why Barca needs to come away from the Bernabeu with all three points.
Barcelona legend Rivaldo thinks Real Madrid will win La Liga if they are victorious this Sunday
Real Madrid can't become champions on Sunday with a win but it puts them in an extremely strong position to take Barcelona's throne. The two rivals head into the game in completely different states of mind.
Blaugrana icon Rivaldo alluded to this when analyzing the El Clasico showdown at the Bernabeu. The Brazilian told Betfair:
"This Sunday's game is a key game for Barcelona, because if they win the gap will be five points with six games remaining. But if Real Madrid win, I think it will seal the title. I think Real Madrid have an advantage, even more so after qualifying for the Champions League and Barcelona having lost like they did."
Ancelotti's side will also be buoyed by their two victories over the Catalan giants. They are eyeing finishing the season with a treble and could take a massive step towards that goal with a win against Barcelona.
