Former Real Madrid midfielder Rafael van der Vaart believes Los Blancoswill beat Barcelona in Sunday’s El Clasico, arguing that Jose Mourinho’s side have developed the winning mentality and tactical discipline needed to exploit their rivals’ weaknesses.
Speaking to Winwin (h/t AS), the Dutchman backed Real Madrid to take advantage of Barcelona’s occasional loss of possession, particularly when the Catalans commit players forward.
Despite Barcelona’s strong performances at home, Van der Vaart expects the visitors to make their opponents pay on the counter-attack.
“I expect Real Madrid to win the match. Although Barcelona are playing well, I think Real Madrid can exploit Barcelona’s loss of possession very effectively through counter-attacks. I believe they will punish Barcelona,” he said.
Van der Vaart identifies Real Madrid’s biggest advantage over Barcelona
Van der Vaart’s prediction rests on more than Real Madrid’s individual quality. He believes the team’s mentality under Mourinho has made them particularly difficult to overcome, with players showing a willingness to work for their manager and maintain their discipline across the pitch.
“I think the big difference is that Real Madrid have become a winning machine,” the former midfielder explained. “The players fight for the manager and give their all on every inch of the pitch.”
Mourinho to pull off a Clasico win? (Photo by Florencia Tan Jun/Getty Images)
He also highlighted Mourinho’s influence on the team’s style, pointing to the cohesion and organisation that have helped Real Madrid secure results, saying:
“Mourinho’s style is clearly evident: playing with cohesion and discipline. You don’t need to play beautiful football to win matches; the important thing is to get victories.”
Barcelona’s PSG defeat unlikely to decide El Clasico
Barcelona head into the contest after a 4-2 defeat against PSG, but Van der Vaart does not believe the setback will necessarily undermine their performance against Real Madrid.
“No, I don’t think the defeat against Paris Saint-Germain will affect Barcelona. Of course, it’s never good to lose an important match, especially 4-2, which is quite a heavy defeat,” he said.
“But I think Sunday’s match will be completely different. Barcelona is an experienced team, they play at home and are used to winning at home; so it will be an interesting match.”
Van der Vaart also dismissed the prospect of Mourinho making major tactical changes for the fixture, saying:
“No, I don’t expect any surprises. I think he’ll field practically the same team as against Leipzig, when they won at home.”
Van der Vaart backs Kylian Mbappe for the Ballon d’Or
Kylian Mbappe for Ballon d’Or. (Photo by Mateo Villalba Sanchez/Getty Images)
The former Real Madrid player also gave a clear verdict on the Ballon d’Or race, backing Kylian Mbappe to claim the individual honour.
“Mbappe should win the Ballon d’Or. I think he is by far the best player at the moment, and he performs at an extremely high level in almost every match,” Van der Vaart said.
He also pointed to Mbappe’s outstanding World Cup performances as a major factor in his case for the award, arguing that the forward deserves recognition for his overall level.
“Plus, he had a magnificent performance at the World Cup, so I think he deserves the award,” he concluded.