The stage is set for this weekend's blockbuster El Clásico, where Barcelona can all but clinch the La Liga title for the second straight season. With the Catalans riding high, tensions are already boiling over—and it's not just on the pitch.

Enric Masip, a key advisor to Barcelona president Joan Laporta, didn't hold back when discussing Real Madrid's leadership, particularly Florentino Pérez's decision to skip the clash at Camp Nou. Speaking to Catalunya Radio at a padel event, Masip called Pérez's absence "laughable."

"If he doesn't want to come, then he shouldn't. There's no reason stopping him other than his unwillingness to see us win," Masip said. "And as for what's being said about the Negreira case as a reason for his absence—that's laughable."

Masip's comments came amid reports of infighting between Real Madrid stars Aurélien Tchouaméni and Federico Valverde. When asked about the rumored altercation, the interviewer jokingly suggested a padel racket as a solution. Masip quipped back: "As long as there's instability, it's dangerous to have a racket in hand."

On the match itself, Masip was brimming with confidence. "I want the result to be 4-1. I'm certain of what I see. The players are extremely focused and have a huge desire—there's absolutely no complacency. We're not going there to celebrate the league, but to play a match that could hand us the league. That's the prevailing mindset."

With Hansi Flick's Barcelona looking to dominate Los Blancos on their own turf, this weekend's El Clásico promises fireworks both on and off the field. Whether Pérez's absence fuels Madrid's fire or Barcelona's focus remains unshaken, one thing is clear: the drama is just beginning.