Injuries and Koundé's fitness

Barcelona host Real Madrid at the Spotify Camp Nou on Sunday, 25 October, with kick-off at 21:00 in matchday 10 of LaLiga EA Sports. Hansi Flick has four confirmed absences: Dani Olmo, Eric García, Andreas Christensen and Roony Bardghji. Olmo was hurt in Paris and is expected to be out for about a month. Jules Koundé, who sprained his left ankle in Paris, skipped Friday's training session, and although he is not yet ruled out, his chances of being fit shrink by the hour. Flick has made clear that he prefers not to push players who are not at full strength. Four Barça Atlètic players were called up to train with the squad, namely Abdelkarim, Àlex Campos, Orian Goren and Ebrima Tunkara, but all four are considered out of the starting line-up barring a big surprise. Joan García is set to start in goal.

Full-back and centre-back picks

Xavi Espart, who has recovered well from his ankle problems after playing in Paris, is in contention for the right-back berth, especially if Koundé is unavailable. If Espart is ruled out, the alternative is moving João Cancelo to the right and Alejandro Balde to the left. Cancelo is otherwise expected on the left for his attacking depth, although Balde, who has had little playing time, offers a more defensive profile. Pau Cubarsí and Gerard Martín, who is now fully recovered, look set to form the central pair, with Eric García unavailable.

Mourinho's selection puzzle

This will be Mourinho's 14th visit to Barcelona as a coach, returning to the Camp Nou as a visiting manager for the first time in more than 13 years. Vinicius Junior is suspended in La Liga and will miss the match. Thibaut Courtois has been a central figure this season, with 45 saves in total, including 29 in La Liga and 16 in the Champions League.

La Liga29

Champions League16

La Liga

29 saves

Champions League

16 saves

Data from the article text

Ibrahima Konaté and Dean Huijsen are expected to start in central defence, with Antonio Rüdiger an option, and Marc Cucurella is set for the left flank. The right side is the open question. Fede Valverde could play at right-back again after making 116 actions against RB Leipzig on Wednesday, twice his league average of 57.7. Denzel Dumfries is the alternative, though he has not played a minute in Real Madrid's last two matches. Otherwise Arda Güler, Brahim Díaz or Bernardo Silva could fill the right flank, and Mourinho may opt for a defensive double pivot of Tchouameni and Camavinga.

Recent form and the rivalry

Barcelona lost 4-2 at Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday, 20 October, their first defeat of the season and an end to a run of eleven straight wins at the start of the campaign. Real Madrid routed RB Leipzig at the Bernabéu on Wednesday, 21 October, their third consecutive Champions League win.

Real trail the league leader by six points, so a Barcelona win would open a nine-point gap. The clubs first met in 1902 in the Copa de la Coronación, a predecessor to the Copa del Rey, which Barcelona won 3-1 on 13 May 1902. In October, Real Madrid submitted a 50,000-page dossier to UEFA urging it to conclude its investigation into the Negreira case, which concerns alleged payments by Barcelona to a company linked to José María Enríquez Negreira between 2001 and 2018.

Fermín López told TVE that Barcelona would not let the Paris defeat weigh on them and criticised the Madrid side's approach to referees.

“The speech is a bit tiring; we are showing on the pitch what level we have.”

Players to watch

Anthony Gordon has made a fast start at Barcelona after an €80 million move from Newcastle United, scoring two goals and providing five assists in 11 appearances. Jude Bellingham has three goals and four assists in 12 appearances for Madrid, though his form has dipped since early in the season. Trent Alexander-Arnold is on the bench at the Bernabéu. Lamine Yamal and Kylian Mbappé are the headline attackers, and Yamal could receive the Ballon d'Or by Monday.