LIVE THREAD : Ronald Koeman’s press conference ahead of #ElClasico

Koeman on whether LaLiga goes through the game against Madrid: "The result in principle is not decisive because there are still many games to go and it will be difficult to win every game. But it is true that the team that wins will see their morale increased to continue" #FCB

Koeman on Piqué and Sergi Roberto: "They are two important players due to their quality and personality. They lack rhythm but they are physically well, very excited to help the team and it is important to have almost all the players available". #ElClásico

Koeman : “For me, every player has to be in good physical and mental condition, so they all have a chance to play. Every player has to prove this, and my role will be to pick the 11 best players to start the match”. #FCB

Koeman: "El Clásico is a different game from the others, there is always a lot of emotion. Barça are having a great season, with many points achieved that allows us to fight for La Liga, but Madrid is still Madrid and we have to respect them and be at our best”. #ElClasico

Koeman: "Madrid have played with different systems this season. Our job is to prepare our team in the best way possible. We like to press our opponents and we know how to do it against any system." #ElClasico

Koeman: "Ramos and Varane are important losses for sure but we have missing players as well. Roberto, Piqué, Ansu and Coutinho have been out long. Madrid have showed that they have other players who can fill in the absence of others”. #ElClasico

Koeman: "De Jong? The nice thing is that he can play in multiple positions and he brings so much value. He contributes a lot and that's the most important thing." #ElClasico

Koeman: "Hopefully Messi will be decisive for us tomorrow. We need the best Messi, but above all we need the best Barça. And obviously we need Leo to have a good game, a good attack." #ElClasico

Koeman: "We have improved a lot from the last clasico. Although in the last Clásico we played well, in my opinion. We were better in the first half, but we lost in the second half with the intervention of the VAR. But we have improved in effectiveness”. #ElClasico

Koeman : “When you are playing against an opponent, you have to analyze their playing style and attack method. Madrid are a strong team on the counter and we have to offer all our playing styles. We have to play at our best”. #ElClasico

Koeman : “Dembele is a fast player who knows how to play with his feet and has many skills. One-on-one he is a killer. He will be there tomorrow and we count a lot on his talent”. #ElClasico

Will changing the referee from Lahoz to Manzano affect the game?

Koeman : “I think we talk a lot about referees sometimes. The referee decides according to what he sees, with the help of the VAR. So I don't care who the referee is. I just hope the referee does a good job” #FCB

Koeman : “I think every coach needs time to put to impact a team. We have changed a lot in the system of playing in Barca and the confidence in the team is better now than before. We are now working better together”. #ElClasico

END OF THREAD : End of Koeman's press conference. #ElClasico #FCB