Former Real Madrid midfielder Rafael van der Vaart has tipped Los Blancos to defeat Barcelona in Sunday’s El Clásico, believing José Mourinho’s team have the tactical advantage to hurt their rivals on the counter-attack.

According to a report by Madrid Universal on Friday, October 23, 2026, the former Netherlands international expects Real Madrid to take advantage of Barcelona’s defensive weaknesses when the Catalan side loses possession.

Barcelona are preparing to welcome their bitter rivals to the Spotify Camp Nou on October 25, with Hansi Flick’s men hoping to maintain their position at the top of La Liga.

The Catalans have enjoyed an excellent start to their league campaign, winning all nine matches and opening a six-point gap over third-placed Real Madrid.

However, Van der Vaart believes Madrid possess the quality and mentality required to overcome Barcelona, particularly with their ability to launch dangerous counter-attacks.

Speaking to Winwin in an interview highlighted by Madrid Universal, the former midfielder made his prediction clear.

“I expect Real Madrid to win the match,” Van der Vaart said.

He also praised the mentality within Mourinho’s squad, describing the Spanish giants as a team with a strong winning culture and players who are fully committed to their manager.

“I think the big difference is that Real Madrid have become a winning machine. The players fight for the manager and give their all on every inch of the pitch,” he added.

Real Madrid head into the highly anticipated encounter in encouraging form after winning their last four matches across all competitions. Their recent results include an impressive 4-1 victory over RB Leipzig in the Champions League.

Barcelona, meanwhile, suffered a 4-2 defeat against Paris Saint-Germain in their Champions League fixture on Tuesday. Nevertheless, Van der Vaart does not believe the setback will negatively affect their preparations for Sunday’s showdown.

“No, I don’t think the defeat against Paris Saint-Germain will affect Barcelona,” he explained.

Madrid will, however, be without Vinícius Júnior, who is serving a four-match La Liga suspension following his red card against Villarreal.

Despite the Brazilian forward’s absence, Van der Vaart does not expect Mourinho to make significant changes to the starting XI that defeated Leipzig.

“No, I don’t expect any surprises. I think he’ll field practically the same team as against Leipzig, when they won at home,” he concluded.

Van der Vaart’s prediction adds another talking point ahead of Sunday’s El Clásico, with both Spanish giants expected to approach the encounter determined to claim an important victory in the title race.