Madrid visits Barcelona with four wins

Real Madrid will attempt to reduce their La Liga deficit to Barcelona from six points to three on Sunday. The match, known as El Clasico, will take place at Camp Nou and marks a return to the fixture for manager Jose Mourinho.

Mourinho, 63, previously managed Real Madrid from 2010 to 2013. He has 17 prior El Clasico appearances on the Real Madrid bench. Florentino Perez, the club's president, initially hired Mourinho to compete against Pep Guardiola's Barcelona. The Portuguese manager now seeks to bring the league title back to the Bernabeu.

Real Madrid enters the match with four consecutive victories. In contrast, Barcelona has not won its last two major fixtures. Hansi Flick's team suffered its first defeat of the season on Tuesday, losing 4-2 to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League. This result has introduced complications for the Spanish champions, who have been preparing for the Sunday clash.

Flick acknowledged the impact of the Paris loss. He stated that the team analyzed the game and identified areas for improvement. "We have to grow as a team," Flick said. "Tomorrow we play against one of the best teams in the world, so it's a good opportunity to grow, to challenge ourselves, to improve ourselves and to grow as a team."

Flick also addressed the short tenure of his coaching staff. He noted that the team has only been working together for about six weeks since players returned from the World Cup. "Comparing a team in this state to more established sides, I think is unfair," he said. He described the current period as an initial phase where both the coach and players are still defining paths.

Both managers emphasized the unique nature of the match. Mourinho said that previous results do not influence the outcome of El Clasico. "Normally, the football world stops to watch it," Mourinho said. "Hopefully, it's a great game and we win." Flick agreed, calling the match the best in their sport and noting that while the stakes are three points, the importance goes beyond that.

Real Madrid has lost six of the last seven Clasicos. A victory on Sunday would provide a confidence boost for a side that has found form recently. Barcelona currently leads the league and will look to extend its advantage to nine points if it wins.