Defending champions Barcelona play "a thousand times better" than Real Madrid, former Holland and Barcelona star Johan Cruyff said Thursday ahead of the "El Classico" weekend clash.

"This is not a revelation. The whole world is captivated by this way of playing, this quality, this technique," the 62-year-old said.

But he said Barcelona had to "respect" Real, who are heading into Sunday's clash with a one-point advantage over the Catalan side following their best league start in 17 years.

"They do not play well, but they are at the top and they have time to improve," said Cruyff.

Despite being without injured star strikers Lionel Messi and Zlatan Ibrahimovic Barcelona defeated Inter Milan 2-0 on Tuesday in a crucial Champions League match.

Cruyff, a three-time European footballer of the year, started his career as a teenager at Ajax before going on to enjoy huge success with Barca, whom he coached to the 1992 European Cup.