José Mourinho returns to El Clasico battle on Sunday as his Real Madrid side takes on Barcelona at Camp Nou, looking to close the gap on their fierce rivals at the top of La Liga.
Barca have enjoyed a sensational start to the season, winning nine out of nine in the Spanish top-flight, – scoring 39 goals in the process – including a 5-2 win at Real Betis last weekend.
Real, meanwhile, hammered Sevilla 4-1 at the Bernabeu, which saw Kylian Mbappe score twice, lifting Mourinho's side to within a point of second-place Atletico Madrid, but still seven behind Barca.
Mourinho, who will be in charge of his first Clasico since returning for a second spell as Los Blancos manager during the summer, will be without suspended attacker Vinicius Junior for a match in which his team will undoubtedly be underdogs.
“The people who thought a week ago that Barca could thrash us still think the same now,” said the Portuguese, whose team defeated RB Leipzig 4-1 on Wednesday to maintain their 100 per cent start in the Uefa Champions League.
“I don't think that view will change. The fact that people speak highly of Barca doesn't affect me. To be honest, there are matches in which they obviously deserve plenty of praise because they do some very good things.
“In our case, we're viewed as a finished product. Finished products are difficult to achieve in football. If you talk about us at an advanced stage of the process, we've been working for three months. If you exclude preseason and the international break, we've been working for a month and a half. Far from being a finished product, we're at the very beginning of the process.
“Our manager is still getting to know the team, analysing things and establishing his approach. The players are still getting to know me, too. I don't think it's fair to compare a team like ours with one that has been together for longer.”
Barcelona suffered their first defeat of the campaign on Tuesday when they lost to Champions League holders Paris Saint Germain 4-2 in a breathless clash at the Parc des Princes.
“It was a fantastic game from both teams,” insisted manager Hansi Flick in Paris. “We made a few too many mistakes in possession. We have to analyse the game, but I also saw a lot great things. It was a great test for us today. We've seen what things we need to do better, and that's what we'll do.
“What we've done over the last few weeks has been incredible. The attitude, the quality. We tried to play how we want to play, we pressed them very high. There were a lot of fantastic things on show today.”
And now Flick's attention will be turned to Real and their wily coach, Mourinho, who will almost certainly relish being the villain of the piece for Barca fans. “I have a lot of respect for him,” said the German. “When you’ve managed for so many years and had so much success, it’s a testament to his talent.
“When I was [Joachim] Low’s assistant, I met with him in Madrid. Every player who played under him speaks of him with great respect. He’s a colleague, and a very successful one at that.
“They have players with great quality in the final third,” he added when asked about the threats his team will face from Mourinho's side. “They’ve shown that in recent matches. We have to be careful and prepared.
“For us, the important thing is our positioning, with and without the ball. We need to maintain good distance between the lines and be compact.
“This is important when playing with a high defensive line. [defenders Pau] Cubarsi and Gerard [Martin] are having a great season and they complement each other well; they are growing together.”
While Barcelona's array of attacking talent in the likes of Lamine Yamal (eight goals and six assists), La Liga top-scorer Raphinha (12 goals and three assists) and summer signing Anthony Gordon (one goal and four assists) have been hogging the headlines, it was another recent arrival – in midfielder Rodri from Manchester City – who has provided a bedrock for those forwards to blossom.
“We always look at ourselves and the impact he has on Barca,” said Flick. “When the opportunity arose to sign him, we were all convinced he would improve. He was a piece to take the next step,” he said.
“We’ve seen that in the first few matches. I’m very happy he’s here. Alongside Pedri, there’s great quality in midfield. We’re all happy with him.”