Plenty of time has passed but Madrid’s rivalry with Barcelona still heightens Portuguese’s sensors

Guardiola’s gone. Messi’s moved on; and Ronaldo too. But a familiar face remains. Tonight, José Mourinho will prowl the Camp Nou touchline in his 18th El Clásico as Real Madrid coach.

“The Clásico is just another game in the championship, but to say it’s a game like any other would be to lie; it’s totally unreal,” the 63-year-old Portuguese mastermind said.

His record as Madrid’s coach against Barcelona reads: five wins, six draws, and six defeats. At the Camp Nou, he’s won just twice as Madrid’s mentor.

Tonight’s clash, Mourinho’s first since re-joining Madrid in July, pits the table-topping Barcelona against third-placed Madrid. The gap between the teams is six points, and Mourinho is under enormous pressure to ensure it doesn’t get bigger.

Madrid president Florentino Pérez first appointed Mourinho as manager in ​2010 to compete with Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona, and he will hope the Portuguese can wrest ​the LaLiga title ⁠back to the Bernabéu for a second time.

Mourinho’s first spell coincided with arguably the most heated encounters in the modern history of El Clásico, and there will be numerous cameras trained on his every move at Camp Nou tonight (kickoff: 10pm, SA time).

Mourinho’s return raises the stakes

Recovering the winning formula against Barcelona may well represent a turning point in Mourinho’s second Real Madrid tenure, after two losses ​in their opening nine LaLiga games and frequent whistles from their own fans during home games.

The Clásico is just another game in the championship but to say it’s a game like any other would be to lie; totally unreal

—  José Mourinho, Real Madrid coach

However, since losing to city neighbours Atlético last month, Madrid have won their next four fixtures, two in LaLiga and two in the Champions League, suggesting Mourinho’s ideas are starting to take hold.

Crucially, they appear not to be missing Vinicius Junior, who will be suspended tonight after pulling the hair of Villareal’s Nathan Saliba.

After his thunderous volley in Wednesday’s Champions League win over RB Leipzig, Côte d’Ivoire’s 19-year-old superstar Yann Diomande has assuaged concerns about Vinicius’s absence.

Two of the main candidates for the Ballon d’or, which will be awarded tomorrow night — Lamine Yamal and Kylian Mbappé — provide an extra layer of grandeur to one of the great occasions in sport.

New faces, same fierce rivalry

Spain’s biggest football fixture will see as many as 14 new faces that could make their El Clásico debuts.

Madrid and Barcelona both made six signings in the close season, while ‌the Catalan club have promoted two youth academy products to their senior squad, injecting the tie with a fresh crop of players keen to leave their mark on the rivalry.

Among them is Brazilian striker Gabriel Jesus, who joined Barcelona from Arsenal in September. “Barcelona against Real Madrid is, without a ​doubt, amongst the biggest in the world,” Jesus said ahead of the first meeting between the ​two sides this season.

“It really is a dream to play in the Clásico for the first ⁠time. I’ve never made a secret of my desire to one day wear the Barcelona shirt, and that goal includes ​playing in El Clásico.”

Jesus is no stranger to facing Madrid, having scored three times against Los Blancos in four matches for ​Manchester City. “They were memorable Champions League clashes, including a goal at the Bernabéu,” he said.

The 29-year-old Jesus grew up 8,797km away in São Paulo, and he could line up alongside Xavi Espart, who was born in Barcelona and came through their youth academy.

One of nine academy graduates ​in their squad, Espart highlighted the implications of the match both in the standings and in the rivalry. “The truth is, it’s ​going to be a war. We will go all out; it’s [the] Clásico,” he told DAZN.

“You always have to give 100% , ‌now ⁠we have the chance to extend our lead and we’ll fight to the death.”