Luis Enrique: 'El Clasico defeat won't decide La Liga title race'

Barcelona boss Luis Enrique has insisted that it would be "naive" to rule his side out of the title race should they lose to Real Madrid this weekend.

The Catalan giants head into the first El Clasico fixture of the season as many as six points adrift of Zinedine Zidane's team, but Enrique has attempted to play down the importance of the game in regards to the league standings.

The 46-year-old told reporters: "It would be naive to think that a defeat will decide where the league is going. It's a wonderful opportunity for us to beat Real Madrid and get closer to them."

On Barcelona's status as marginal favourites, he added: "It doesn't concern me. We're playing at home, it's a beautiful game and we must make ourselves happy and also our fans."

Barcelona head into the game having only registered draws in their last two league games.