Opinions, analysis and commentary
Hansi Flick has the edge. His Barcelona have beaten Madrid six times in seven meetings across league, cup and Supercopa football, while José Mourinho, back on the Bernabéu bench after his first spell ended in 2013, has not yet taken charge of a single Clásico this time round. Sunday’s 20:00 GMT showdown at Camp Nou pairs a leader with nine wins from nine against a third-placed visitor still shaping its team. The history favours the home dugout, even if one night may not.
Barcelona sit on 27 points after nine wins from nine games, a six-point cushion over Madrid. The visitors are third on 21 points, built on seven victories and defeats at Real Betis and Atlético Madrid, and that gap is the price of those two slips.
Recent form pulls in opposite directions. Barcelona went down 4-2 away to PSG in midweek, their first loss of the campaign, while Madrid hit Sevilla and RB Leipzig for four apiece, conceding once each time. Absences count too, with Vinícius Júnior suspended and Rodrygo injured on one side, and Dani Olmo and Eric García missing on the other. Both benches will start with holes to fill.
Real Madrid confirmed the Portuguese coach on 11 June 2026 with a three-year deal, and he started work on 13 July as the successor to Álvaro Arbeloa. His last trip to Camp Nou as a manager ended with a Copa del Rey victory, 3-1, on 26 February 2013. That is a long gap between visits, more than thirteen years.
He and Flick have crossed paths only once, in December 2019, when Bayern won 3-1 against his Tottenham side, so he has never faced Flick’s Barcelona. Mourinho speaks warmly of Flick as a great coach, yet he insists it is unfair to set a squad three months into its work against a long-established one.
Across seven Clásicos, Flick has won six and lost once, scoring 22 goals and letting in 11. Among the wins are a 4-0 and a 5-2, an extra-time Copa del Rey final settled 3-2, a 4-3 league victory and the Supercopa final of January 2026, another 3-2. His one defeat came on 26 October 2025, by 2-1.
The latest meeting, a 2-0 victory on 10 May, which sealed the title, showed his method. With Lamine Yamal injured, Flick put Marcus Rashford on the right, went two goals up inside 18 minutes and then dropped into a high defensive line that Gonzalo García briefly tested. Barcelona played the rest of that evening from a position of control.
| Manager | Clásicos | W | D | L | Goals scored | Goals conceded |
| Hansi Flick (Barcelona, 2024-26) | 7 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 22 | 11 |
| José Mourinho (Real Madrid, 2010-13) | 17 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 25 | 31 |
| José Mourinho (since 2026 return) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Mourinho’s first Madrid era produced 17 Clásicos, with five victories, six stalemates and six losses, and a tally of 25 goals for against 31 conceded. At Camp Nou the split was two wins, three draws, and three defeats, which makes the ground less of a fortress for him than memory suggests.
His highlights were the Copa del Rey final of 2011 and an April 2012 league victory, 2-1, that ended Barcelona’s 55-match unbeaten home run. The low point was a 5-0 beating in November 2010. His final Clásico, a league win by the same 2-1 scoreline on 2 March 2013, came with seven players rotated out of the cup lineup, since the Champions League tie against Manchester United took priority.
Flick wins the comparison on the numbers. He averages 2.57 points per Clásico against Mourinho’s 1.24, his goal difference of +11 sits well clear of the -6 on the other side, and his team arrives unbeaten in the league. Barcelona’s only blemish this season came in Europe.
The sample is skewed, because this Madrid have never played a Clásico under Mourinho and the PSG defeat proved Barcelona can be exposed. One night can overturn a ledger, particularly with key attackers missing on the Madrid side. Still, for the Barcelona vs Real Madrid La Liga 2026 Mourinho storyline, the weight of evidence sits with Flick.
Does Flick’s six wins in seven decide this Clásico, or can Mourinho spoil it? Drop your pick in the comments.
Who is Real Madrid’s manager in 2026?
José Mourinho is Real Madrid’s manager in 2026. He signed a three-year deal announced on 11 June and began his duties on 13 July, taking over from Álvaro Arbeloa, who had followed Xabi Alonso.
How has Hansi Flick fared against Real Madrid?
Flick has won six of his seven Clásicos with Barcelona. The exception was a 2-1 defeat on 26 October 2025, and his side scored 22 goals while conceding 11 across the seven games.
When did Mourinho return to Real Madrid?
Real Madrid announced his return on 11 June 2026. He began working with the new squad on 13 July, a month after signing and roughly three months before this Clásico.
How many El Clásicos has Mourinho won against Barcelona?
Mourinho won five of his 17 meetings with Barcelona while at Real Madrid. He drew six and lost six, scoring 25 goals and conceding 31 between 2010 and 2013.
What time does the Barcelona and Real Madrid game start?
Camp Nou hosts the game at 20:00 GMT this Sunday, 25 October. Barcelona hold a six-point lead over Madrid in the table, so a home win would stretch that gap to nine.
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