According to a report from SPORT, it has come to light that Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho will closely analyse Barcelona’s Champions League meeting with Paris Saint-Germain in order to prepare for the El Clasico.
The Portuguese manager is particularly interested in how Hansi Flick reorganises his defence amid injury concerns, believing Tuesday’s European showdown could reveal important clues about Barcelona’s plans for the meeting at the Spotify Camp Nou.
Mourinho is not yet shifting his full attention towards the Clasico, with Real Madrid’s own European commitments taking priority.
However, once that fixture is out of the way, he and his coaching staff will turn their focus to assessing Barcelona’s performance against Luis Enrique’s PSG.
Barcelona’s defensive absences could influence Mourinho’s Clasico plan
The availability of Jules Kounde and Eric Garcia is expected to be a major focus of Mourinho’s analysis.
Both defenders have featured on Barcelona’s right side this season, and their absence leaves Flick facing important decisions over how to assemble his back line for two demanding matches.
Mourinho will pay close attention to Barcelona’s UCL match against PSG. (Photo by Jose Manuel Alvarez Rey/Getty Images)
The Portuguese coach already knows Barcelona’s strengths and attacking patterns well.
Nevertheless, the PSG match offers a valuable opportunity to see how Flick responds when key defensive options are unavailable against a high-level opponent.
Mourinho will inevitably be interested in those adjustments, but Barcelona should also view the match as an opportunity to demonstrate that their system can withstand personnel changes.
A disciplined performance would strengthen Flick’s options and give Real Madrid less reason to believe the absences represent an exploitable weakness.
Kounde’s possible return offers Barcelona hope
There remains a possibility that Kounde could recover in time to feature against Real Madrid, giving Flick greater flexibility ahead of the Clasico.
His availability would be significant because it could allow Barcelona to restore a familiar defensive combination rather than rely on an emergency solution.
Jules Kounde might return for El Clasico. (Photo by Fran Santiago/Getty Images)
The team selected against PSG may therefore provide only part of the picture.
If Kounde remains unavailable, however, Flick’s choices in Paris could offer an indication of his preferred alternatives.
At the same time, if the Frenchman returns for Sunday, Barcelona’s defensive setup could look considerably different.
The priority for Barça will be managing the situation without taking unnecessary risks with players’ fitness.
Two demanding fixtures in quick succession make squad management especially important, and Flick will need to balance European needs with the importance of the domestic showdown.