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Mourinho – ‘I Am Not Stupid’ – Keeps Game Plan Under Wraps for Madrid’s Trip to Barcelona – WTOP News
Mourinho refused to reveal his lineup or formation, saying Barcelona would not get tactical clues before the Clasico.
On Sunday, October 25, 2026, Real Madrid visits Barcelona at the Spotify Camp Nou for the Clasico. The match is expected to draw a global audience of more than 600 million viewers.
Trailing league leaders Barcelona by six points, Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho returns to this fixture for the first time since 2013. He seeks to revitalize his team's domestic campaign.
Barcelona enters unbeaten, having won all nine league games while scoring 39 goals under manager Hansi Flick. The team maintains a dominant 69.4% average ball possession, by far the highest in LaLiga.
Dismissing suggestions the game serves as a "litmus test," Jose Mourinho insisted "Madrid with Mourinho wins trophies." He emphasized that Barcelona's midweek Champions League loss would not diminish this fixture's intensity.
Journalist Phil Ball describes the rivalry as "morbo," a uniquely Spanish brand of antagonistic needle transforming the fixture into a proxy battle over cultural and historical divides. The Clasico remains a global spectacle.
The coach of the Real Madrid football players did not want to reveal either the game plan or the composition of the team before the upcoming derby against Barcelona in Primera.