FC Barcelona's Neymar is making people forget about the club's injured superstar Lionel Messi, claims a former Blaugrana player.
Read: Pique Reveals One Thing Neymar Is Better At Than Messi
Alfonso Perez, who is one of the few double agents who played for both the Catalans and their bitter rivals Real Madrid, has insisted Barca can be confident going into the Clasico, even without Messi.
"His lay-off has shown that Neymar and Luis Suarez can carry the team," he told Marca.
"Neymar has risen to the challenge and then some. It seemed like Messi's absence might hinder Barca, but the way he's playing, Neymar is making people forget about Messi."
The Argentine has reportedly returned to the training pitch, but it is yet to be seen whether he can recover in time to make an appearance in the Clasico on Saturday.
Alfonso also believes Cristiano Ronaldo will soon return to scoring ways and explained why his current dip in form is overhyped.
"The problem is that he's spoiled us rotten, so when he doesn't score for a couple of weeks, crisis talk starts. It's not fair," he added.
"He'll probably bag a couple against Barca and that'll be the end of his bad streak."
Read: Find Out What CR7 Told Real President
Do you think Barcelona could beat Real without Messi? Have your say in the comments section below.
