El Clasico awaits a Yamal vs Mbappe showdown on Mourinho’s return to La Liga

Barcelona, Spain – It has been 15 years since Jose Mourinho was archetypal thrown into the ringing of occurrence astatine Camp Nou and the famously polarising manager’s Real Madrid broadside was handed a La Liga battering by Barcelona.

The location team’s supporters person not forgotten that acold November nighttime from 2010, erstwhile Pep Guardiola’s men stamped their authorization with a 5-0 win.

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It became an enduring representation of a rivalry that spilled from the transportation onto the touchline, sparking heated confrontations among players and bitter exchanges betwixt managers for years to come.

Now, Barcelona – the metropolis and the nine – are acceptable to “welcome back” Mourinho connected his 2nd stint arsenic the manager of their fiercest rival.

“I retrieve the 5-0 [scoreline] but besides the tension,” recalls Aleix Soler, a Barcelona fan.

“You’d walk the full week arguing astir the game adjacent earlier a shot was kicked,” helium tells Al Jazeera astatine a Barcelona instrumentality zone.

The 35-year-old culer – arsenic Barcelona’s supporters are known – volition ticker the match, having besides attended games during Mourinho’s archetypal Madrid spell.

“Beating Madrid is ever special, but against Mourinho, you’re inactive smiling connected Monday morning.”

Points, pridefulness and bragging rights

As Mourinho returns to the fixture aft 13 years connected Sunday, helium volition look different Barcelona broadside that has acceptable a punishing gait successful the league.

The spotlight volition beryllium connected Lamine Yamal and Kylian Mbappe – with their growing rivalry adding different melodramatic furniture to the plot.

The 2 forwards conscionable a time earlier the Ballon d’Or award ceremonial successful London, bringing idiosyncratic ambition to a contention that isn’t shorn of consequences for either club.

Barcelona person won each 9 of their league games, scoring 39 goals, and pb Madrid by six points.

Victory would agelong that spread to nine. A Madrid triumph would not lone trim it to 3 points, but besides inject caller content successful Mourinho’s side.

Mourinho acknowledged the value of the juncture aft his team’s Champions League triumph implicit RB Leipzig connected Wednesday.

“It’s different league match, but it’s not a lucifer similar the others,” helium told section broadcaster Movistar.

Madrid are 3rd successful La Liga standings, down Atletico Madrid, and person mislaid six of their past 7 Clasicos. Mourinho indispensable find a mode to interrupt that signifier earlier the rubric pursuit intensifies.

Contrasting forms, identical headaches

While Hansi Flick has made this fixture a root of spot for Barcelona successful his 2 years arsenic manager, the hosts attack it with their ain questions aft a 4-2 decision astatine Paris Saint-Germain, their archetypal nonaccomplishment of the season, connected Tuesday.

Barcelona scored freely against Getafe, Galatasaray and Real Betis earlier travelling to France. In Paris, their attacking menace remained but antiaircraft absences and the spaces opened up to PSG made the evening uncomfortable.

Barcelona defenders Eric Garcia and Jules Kounde were retired injured, leaving Flick with Xavi Espart and Joao Cancelo arsenic full-back options connected either broadside of Pau Cubarsi and Gerard Martin.

Kounde remained absent from grooming connected Friday, portion midfielder Dani Olmo’s adductor wounded further narrowed the coach’s options.

Madrid enjoyed a much encouraging European evening, beating Leipzig 4-1 with goals from Bernardo Silva, Arda Guler, Mbappe and Yan Diomande.

Their 3 wins from 3 Champions League games connection a foundation, adjacent if home consistency has proved harder to establish.

However, they volition look Barcelona without the suspended Vinicius Junior, removing 1 of their astir unsafe runners and leaving Mourinho with different determination to marque astir Mbappe.

Yan Diomande offers an alternate connected the left, portion Guler’s passing and Jude Bellingham’s question could beryllium indispensable to getting Madrid’s starring scorer into unsafe positions.

The task begins with escaping Barcelona’s pressure. If Madrid tin determination the shot beyond the archetypal situation and find a passer facing forward, Mbappe tin onslaught the abstraction down Flick’s antiaircraft line.

For Barcelona, maintaining unit connected that passer volition beryllium arsenic important arsenic tracking the run. Retreat excessively readily, and they hazard losing the compact signifier that allows them to retrieve possession and support attacks coming.

Federico Valverde’s caller deployment astatine right-back gives Madrid different way forward, with his overlapping runs complementing teammates who determination inside.

Whether Mourinho keeps him determination volition assistance find the equilibrium betwixt creativity and antiaircraft screen successful midfield.

Real Madrid’s Turkish midfielder Arda Guler was instrumental successful their Champions League triumph implicit RP Leipzig [Oscar Del Pozo/AFP]

Yamal vs Mbappe: Battle of the forwards

Madrid indispensable determine however overmuch attraction they tin spend to springiness Yamal.

The young sensation’s dribbling tin gully a 2nd defender towards Barcelona’s close wing, but that assistance comes astatine a outgo elsewhere arsenic Pedri tin redirect possession towards the abstraction near open.

Meanwhile, Raphinha’s question threatens opponents concentrating connected the ball, and his 12 league goals underline the information of treating Barcelona arsenic a one-man attack.

Stopping Yamal from beating his marker volition execute small occurrence if the supporting antiaircraft movements permission different subordinate free.

For Real Madrid fans, 1 glorious nighttime astatine Camp Nou could beryllium seen arsenic a turning point.

“Winning determination would marque maine judge we tin triumph the league, particularly if we play with courage”, says Lucia Martin, a Madrid supporter.

The 26-year-old is travelling to Barcelona with her begetter to be the game, and overmuch of her anticipation rests connected Mbappe, though she wants the squad to stock the responsibility.

“When helium gets the ball, I ever deliberation thing tin happen, but we can’t walk 90 minutes waiting for him to rescue us.”

Despite starring each conversations astir the match, Yamal and Mbappe volition seldom face each different directly; their power volition beryllium measured successful the problems they make for everyone else.

Yamal has 8 goals and six assists successful 9 league appearances. Mbappe has 9 goals and 2 assists crossed the aforesaid fig of games.

One tin propulsion defenders towards the shot earlier releasing a teammate, the different tin unit them backwards with the menace of a run.

Both are nominees for the upcoming Ballon d’Or and though the lucifer falls extracurricular the appraisal play for this year’s award, it volition service arsenic the cleanable build-up to 1 of the astir hotly-contested awards successful caller years.

Before shot celebrates its outstanding performers successful London, 2 of its strongest claimants to the rubric of world’s champion volition stock a signifier wherever reputations are tested nether exceptional unit and fortify their assertion arsenic the world’s best.

On the eve of the Ballon d’Or, Yamal has a accidental to widen Barcelona’s cleanable commencement and deepen Madrid’s frustration.

For Mbappe, determination is the accidental to bring his squad backmost into the contention astatine their rival’s expense.

Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal and Raphinha person formed a formidable concern [Pablo Morano/Reuters]