Mourinho's Message Before El Clasico at Camp Nou: Past Results Count for Nothing, Real Will Face Yamal with Respect

Another chapter of club football's eternal rivalry will be staged late on Sunday night (25 October), when Barcelona and Real Madrid meet at the Spotify Camp Nou. Before the prestige battle, Real coach Jose Mourinho has made it clear that past performances count for nothing in an El Clasico.

Barcelona, in fine form in La Liga, will want to strengthen their hold on top spot. But recovering from the midweek UEFA Champions League defeat to PSG is now the big challenge for Hansi Flick's team. Real Madrid, on the other hand, want to enter the Clasico maintaining the consistency of their recent good performances.

At the pre-match press conference, Mourinho said they are going through a good period, playing well and scoring goals. But whatever has been done before has no value in a Clasico — this match is completely separate. His remarks made clear that despite confidence from form, he treats the unique pressure of the Clasico as something apart.

Mourinho was also cautious when asked whether Barcelona's defeat to PSG would affect the team's confidence. In his view, one defeat does not change a team's mentality or self-belief. Performance on the pitch will matter more than the opponent's recent result, he believes.

The biggest discussion surrounds Barcelona's young star Lamine Yamal. But the Real coach is not in favour of changing his team's natural way of playing with a special plan just to stop him. Mourinho said both Barcelona and Real have good players. Yamal is an extraordinary talent and must be respected. But respecting an opponent and changing one's own strategy and playing identity to stop him are not the same thing, he said.

Barcelona coach Hansi Flick also sees El Clasico as one of football's most attractive contests. In his view, although the match carries three points, its importance is far greater. While respecting Real, the Barca coach has faith in his own team's ability.

Asked whether there is any special plan to stop Kylian Mbappe, Flick said what matters for them is keeping the players' positioning right whether or not they have the ball. The proper distance between the two lines of players must be maintained and the team kept disciplined. In other words, he is stressing team structure over an individual-focused plan.

There is bad news for Barcelona, however: Kounde will not be able to play in the Clasico because of injury. Flick also spoke about Dani Olmo's physical condition. He said Dani was in great form and fully fit, and how he got injured was unfortunate. He is disappointed at missing several matches. Although Fermin and Olmo are options in that position, they will miss Dani, Flick said.

The statistics add further interest to the match. Yamal has scored eight goals in nine La Liga matches this season — the highest by a player under 20 at this stage of a season this century. Mbappe, meanwhile, has scored 12 goals in 10 matches against Barcelona across all competitions. This century, only Cristiano Ronaldo's 20 goals and Karim Benzema's 16 against the Catalan club stand ahead of him.

Opta's supercomputer gives Barcelona a 54.4 percent chance of victory before the Clasico. But Clasico history says paper calculations do not always work on the pitch — and Mourinho's remarks echoed that same reality.

In a rivalry stretching back more than a century, the excitement and the contest for supremacy take on a different dimension every time. Just as a large section of supporters divides between Brazil and Argentina when the World Cup comes, the Barcelona-Real duel creates similar emotion in club football. Late on Sunday night at Camp Nou, that emotion will be tested once again — where, alongside victory, both teams aim to outdo their greatest rivals.