Robert Lewandowski has said that Barcelona are not “scared” by Kylian Mbappé's imminent arrival at Real Madrid this summer.
Barça are 12 points behind the LaLiga champions heading into the final round of matches this weekend, and Madrid will be further strengthened by the signing of Mbappé, with sources telling ESPN that he is expected to join next month after the Champions League final.
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Madrid beat Barça in both Classic meetings between the two teams this season, but Lewandowski said in an interview with Marca newspaper that he believes Barça can still compete even with the addition of French star Mbappé.
“Scared? No,” Lewandowski said. “Of course Mbappé is an incredible player and if he joins Real Madrid, the team, the players will be very strong. But our mentality will be the following: no matter how good players they are. If we work as a team together, with the mentality that we can beat them, we can compete with them.
Lewandowski, 35, joined Barça in July 2022 and won LaLiga in his first season, scoring 23 goals. He found it more difficult this season as the team struggled, but he still has 18 goals in the league, the fourth-highest tally in the division.
“We have to be prepared from the first game, from the first minute,” he said. “Because Real Madrid will surely have a moment when they don't play well, lose points, and we have to be prepared for this, not only to catch them but maybe to overtake them. Like two years ago, the season “Before there were always some games that we couldn't win, but we didn't lose.
In addition to the expected arrival of Mbappé, Madrid will also welcome teenage star Endrick this summer, with the Brazilian striker arriving from Palmeiras in a deal reached in December 2022.
They will compete for a place in a packed attack alongside Vinícius Júnior, Rodrygo Goes and Jude Bellingham, but in an interview with Diario AS on Thursday, Endrick, 17, said he was not worried about the competition.
“It's a winning group,” he said. “No player is a threat to another. The best club in the world always has to look for the best in each position, always. Being next to great players will only help me improve, reach a higher level and win more trophies” .
Madrid will play Real Betis in their final LaLiga match of the 2023-24 season on Saturday before preparing to face Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League final at Wembley on June 1.
