Barcelona attacker Neymar has refused to play down the importance of El Clasico at Camp Nou on March 22.

As it stands, Barcelona lead La Liga by one point from Real Madrid, who are without a win in their last two league games.

The clash in Barcelona is expected to play a crucial role in the title race and Neymar has branded the affair "a final".

"El Clasico will be a final and we have to prepare as such. They are a very tough team but we only have to think about victory. The distance is not definitive, the season is very long and there are many games. We'll have to play our game and focus on winning," AS quotes Neymar as saying.

Barcelona travel to Eibar in the league on Saturday, before Real Madrid host Levante one day later.