Real Madrid forward Karim Benzema has insisted that his side cannot afford to underestimate Barcelona when the two teams lock horns in El Clasico next weekend.

Barcelona lost Lionel Messi over the summer amid their financial problems and have struggled for results in the early stages of the 2021-22 campaign.

A total of 12 points from seven matches has left Ronald Koeman's side down in ninth position in the table, but the Catalan giants are only five points behind leaders Real Madrid with a game in hand.

Benzema has said that there is "never a good moment" to play Barcelona, and Los Blancos cannot afford to take their bitter rivals lightly in El Clasico.

"There's never a good moment to play [them]," Benzema told ESPN. "A team like Barcelona or any top team, they can have a poor game and then bounce back again. It's a match that we can't take lightly, even if they haven't played well so far."

Real Madrid's La Liga match against Athletic Bilbao, scheduled for this weekend, has been postponed, so the team are next in action against Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League next week.