FC Barcelona coach Ronald Koeman said his side would need to be fearless to beat arch-rivals Real Madrid on Sunday as he called on the club’s fans to get behind the team following a challenging start to the season.

Barca’s imposing Camp Nou stadium will be back to its old self on Sunday for El Clasico with 99,000 supporters packed into the ground, following the end to restrictions on capacity imposed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Koeman, whose side have endured a mixed start to the season winning four of their opening eight games in La Liga, is well aware of the advantage a full stadium could offer his side against their fierce rivals.

“We won two games in a row and the environment is much better. So we need the support of our fans on Sunday against Real Madrid. We need a full house and we need to make our people proud,” Koeman told a news con ference on Saturday.

“We are very excited and looking forward to Sunday. I told the players they need to enjoy the environment that we will have in Camp Nou. It’s not an additional pressure. We have to go out there and be fearless,” said the Dutch coach, whose job has been under scrutiny this season.

Despite the criticism that has surrounded the team this campaign, following the departures of Lionel Messi and Antoine Griezmann due to the club’s deep financial crisis and some poor results in La Liga and the Champions League, Koeman does not see a big difference between his side and Real Madrid.

“There is no fear from our side. I think we both have a good mix of youth and experience,” Koeman explained.