Carvajal says Barca will drop points, admit Mbappe, Vini and Rodrygo attack work in progress

Real Madrid star Dani Carvajal has aimed a jibe at El Clasico rivals Barcelona as the La Liga season restarts this weekend.

Los Blancos headed into the international break unbeaten from their first four games of the 2024/25 campaign with eight points picked up.

However, the defending champions are already playing catch up to their old foes, who have won all four of their league outings under new boss Hansi Flick.

The schedule steps up in the coming weeks, with the start of the UEFA Champions League, and extra games on the agenda for both teams.

The demands of fighting across multiple fronts will be a test of resources across a demanding season and Carvajal believes Barcelona will slip soon.

“We’ve played four games, it’s a long-distance race, and the schedule is getting tight now. The incoming matches are demanding and they will surely drop a point or two”, reports Diario Sport.

Barcelona return to action with a derby trip to Girona on September 15, and they lost 4-2 home and away to their Catalan neighbours last season, with Real Madrid on the road at Real Sociedad the day before.

Carvajal also admitted that his team is encountering problems finding a balance between Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Jr., as well as Rodrygo, in attack.

Madrid boosted a treble-winning outfit with the Frenchman after he completed a free transfer from Paris Saint-Germain this summer, in turn becoming president Florentino Perez's latest Galactico.

Though he netted on his debut against Atalanta in the UEFA iShares MSCI EAFE ETF 0.0% Super Cup, Mbappe then embarked on a three-game goal drought in La Liga ended by a brace at the Bernabeu which sunk Real Betis 2-0 ahead of the international break.

Asked about the relationship between Mbappe and Vinicius during the said break with Spain, Carvajal admitted to teething problems as "both Vini and Kylian or Rodry [Rodrygo] are players who like to drop to the left wing and not stick so much to the right".

"That they end up understanding each other is a matter of time, the important thing is to find a balance and that will come soon," the veteran predicted.