Jose Mourinho says Real Madrid will have “24 hours less rest” than Barcelona before Sunday’s El Clasico, raising questions over the demanding schedule ahead of the La Liga meeting.
Mourinho was speaking after Real Madrid beat Leipzig 4-1 at the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday in the third round of the Champions League league phase.
The victory maintained Real Madrid’s perfect record in the competition and completed a run of three wins in seven days, following victories over Roma and Sevilla. They scored four goals in each of those matches.
Real Madrid are third in La Liga on 21 points, six behind leaders Barcelona. Victory at Camp Nou would reduce the gap to three points.
“We lose 24 hours of rest, but we will play the Clasico,” Mourinho told reporters, in comments carried by AS.
Barcelona played Paris Saint-Germain in the French capital on Tuesday, while Real Madrid were in action at home on Wednesday. The two sides will then meet at Camp Nou on Sunday.
Asked whether Real Madrid’s recent form had increased confidence before the match, Mourinho said the Clasico could not be treated as an ordinary league fixture.
“In the Clasico there is no question of confidence. It is another league match, but it is not like the other matches,” he said.
Mourinho praises Bernardo Silva and Courtois
Mourinho also praised Bernardo Silva, who made his first start for a considerable period.
“Bernardo had not started a match for a long time, but he also deserved to play according to the principle of merit. He played a great match,” said the Portuguese manager.
He felt Real Madrid had performed well in the first half, although the tempo had been below the required level. His main disappointment was the goal conceded by Thibaut Courtois, despite the goalkeeper making two important saves.
“Courtois did not deserve to concede that goal. After the two saves he made, he did not deserve for his team-mates to spoil his night,” Mourinho added.
The manager also discussed the roles of Arda Guler and Federico Valverde, saying his 105 days with the squad had not been enough to understand the full range of his players’ abilities.
“I still need to get to know them, and the best way to do that is through matches and competitions. They both played well, and the right side worked excellently again. We have good solutions,” he said.
Real Madrid now have nine points in the Champions League but remain short of the 20-point total Mourinho has identified in discussions about securing direct qualification. He warned that the next stage would be difficult, with Olympiacos in Athens followed only two days later by a trip to Valencia.
For now, Mourinho said the priority was La Liga and the meeting with Barcelona.
Why Vinicius was substituted
Mourinho said Vinicius Junior’s replacement by Diomande in the 70th minute was not motivated by thoughts of the Clasico.
“Bringing on Diomande was not related to thinking about the Clasico, but to what I had on the bench. I knew we had a player with great pace and, when he comes on fresh in the final minutes, he becomes difficult to stop,” he said.
He defended Vinicius’ performance, noting that the forward had followed his tactical instructions, helped close spaces and nearly scored a spectacular goal before an excellent save.
“Only Vinicius can explain whether he feels sad, but his manager is happy with what he did,” Mourinho said.
Vinicius will miss the Clasico because of suspension.
