According to a report by Madrid Universal on Wednesday October 21, 2026, the Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho has denied that his team's performance in Sunday's El Clasico against Barcelona had any bearing on their Champions League match against RB Leipzig, citing fixture congestion as the reason for his selections.

After making multiple substitutions, the Portuguese manager started a different lineup. Aurelien Tchouameni, Endrick, Yan Diomande, Marc Cucurella, and Ibrahima Konate were all benched.

In an effort to get a feel for his whole roster, Mourinho started Eduardo Camavinga, Bernardo Silva, Antonio Rudiger, Vinicius Junior, and Alvaro Carreras.

The manager's decision to rotate players around sparked speculation that the domestic showdown against Real Madrid should have taken precedence, given that Barcelona will be facing Madrid this weekend. On the other hand, Mourinho insisted that the forthcoming El Clasico was completely unrelated to his strategy.

Real Madrid were in the midst of a tough schedule of games, so Mourinho had to be careful with his players' workload when he spoke about his team selection.

Oh no. Just one match is at stake. This one follows closely on the heels of the previous three. The El Clasico takes place on Sunday, but according to SPORT, Mourinho stated that it would be the same if the match were any other.

The reason I have made these changes is to make sure that only a handful of players play in all four matches, he continued.

With Real Madrid's sights set on finishing in the top eight of the Champions League and securing automatic qualification for the knockout stages, Mourinho emphasized the significance of collecting points against Leipzig.

"The match is crucial. Our goal is to finish in the top eight, yes. There are still a lot of points to earn if we want to qualify directly, he explained.

Saying, "Playing at home today puts us in a good position that we have to take advantage of," the manager went on to emphasize the benefit of playing at home.

With Real Madrid trailing Hansi Flick's Barcelona by six points going into this weekend's match, the outcome of the match is highly consequential.

But Mourinho maintains that his rotation policy is more a result of a packed schedule than an effort to save important players for El Clasico.

His choices provide regular starters much-needed rest while giving other players a chance to shine. Making a lot of changes, though, might disrupt the team's rhythm and understanding when facing tough European opponents.

In order to prove that Mourinho's selection strategy can lead to the desired outcome against Leipzig while simultaneously preparing the team for Sunday's pivotal encounter with Barcelona, Real Madrid will play this weekend.