Real Madrid have been the underdogs against Barcelona for the last two years. They have had trouble beating their biggest rivals for a very long time, and it seems like every single year nothing is changing enough for this record to alter.
Real Madrid won a Clásico last season for the first time in over a year, but since then have remained winless in two consecutive games against Barcelona.
This will be Jose Mourinho's first Clásico since he returned to the club for his second stint, and it is imperative that he helps Real Madrid win the game.
Real Madrid need a big result against Barcelona on Sunday
He does not need reminding that this is not just any other game. A lot of fans’ rightful concerns have got to do with the way Real Madrid have been playing recently, and a number of bad results have already been seen in these last couple of years against Barcelona.
Suffering another defeat would be very damaging to their reputation as well as their chances of winning the league this season.
If they lose, they will be nine points behind their rivals, and that is, in no context, a good sign for any team. It is not like Mourinho can just hide behind these excuses of being at a different stage than Barcelona in terms of progression. Yes, Barcelona are the best team at the moment, and it been like that for a couple of years. They have had more time with Hansi Flick than Real Madrid have had with Mourinho, but that is never an excuse for any game.
Flick beat Real Madrid in his first season, in his first Clásico in charge. If there was no excuse for him, there is no excuse for Mourinho either. He would simply need to deliver as well as possible so that the club is able to come back from a really bad run of form against their biggest rivals and is finally able to get over the psychological angle of not being able to beat Barcelona.
This game is going to be very crucial for Real Madrid's league position, and if Mourinho ends up winning this, everything that has gone wrong so far this season would not matter.
Whether that actually ends up happening or not is a separate discussion, but Real Madrid need this victory more than Barcelona. All they have to do is show that on the pitch and get the three points on Sunday night. It doesn't matter what form both of these teams are in. What matters is how they play on the night, and if Real Madrid are better, they will win.
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