Real Madrid exit a warning for Barcelona: Valverde

BARCELONA: Ernesto Valverde has refused to rule Real Madrid out of the title race but says their Champions League exit should serve as a warning to Barcelona when they play Lyon next week.

Barca are at home to Rayo Vallecano on Saturday in La Liga, four days before hosting Lyon in Europe, with the tie hanging in the balance following a goalless draw in the first leg. Their position is more comfortable in the league, where they sit seven points ahead of Atletico Madrid and 12 in front of Real, but Valverde insists there is no room for complacency.

“I do not rule out any team, none of us do,” Valverde said at a press conference on Friday. “Atletico is now the closest rival and our objective is to keep this distance at least. I do not rule out Real Madrid either out of respect and because of the maths.

“We see the Real Madrid situation from a distance and with respect, because we know that football is what it is, a lot can change in a week. “When we see there are teams that go out of the Champions League after having good leads, and teams that are strong and powerful, it tells us how difficult it is to go through. Nobody is safe.” “There are certain matches that get a lot of focus in the season,” Valverde said. “But it is those with less focus that either give you the title or take it away.”