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FC Barcelona and Real Madrid are going to be the focus of world football’s attention this Sunday as they are set to play the first El Clasico of the 2026-27 season. The Blaugranes will be hosting the Merengues at the Spotify Camp Nou, and would clearly be the favorites to win this game.
This upcoming game is already becoming one of the main talking points in European football. The German national team coach, Jurgen Klopp, recently commented upon in. Another prominent individual who has aired his thoughts on this match is the former forward Luis Figo, who played for both the sides as a player, and thus knows the two clubs very well.
As Mundo Deportivo has reported, the Portuguese icon praised Lamine Yamal and admitted he would have been forced to change positions if the Spaniard played at his time:
“If we had played together, perhaps I would have had to play on the left and change positions.”
Figo also commented on how his compatriot, Jose Mourinho, might prepare to contain Yamal:
“I think we’re seeing fewer man-marking assignments on the pitch these days. Naturally, you mark the player who spends the most time in your area, in this case the left-back. Having someone man-mark him all over the pitch would be madness.”
“It’s easier to pay particular attention to a player, in this case Lamine, when he’s close to your position. At that moment, you can concentrate more on him, rather than thinking about marking him all over the pitch.”
The former Portuguese forward predicted a draw in this upcoming El Clasico:
“A score prediction? I’ll say 2-2, with goals from Raphinha and Lamine for Barcelona, and Bellingham and Mbappé for Real Madrid. Barcelona are an attacking team and always score goals. Real Madrid will probably have chances on the counter-attack, and Mbappé is a player who benefits from having space ahead of him. Since Barcelona always play with a high line when building their attacks, I think he’ll find that space. Bellingham also knows how to arrive in the box from deep.”
Talking about Mourinho, Figo believed he had the quality to coach Barcelona:
“People were already talking about him before Guardiola was appointed. That must have been because they thought he had what it took to manage Barcelona.”
“Perhaps when I worked with him, he didn’t have the experience yet. But after everything he went on to win, he probably would have been a good Barcelona manager, because he had the ability and the knowledge. If he had returned, he knew the club’s philosophy and the team…”
With Jose Mourinho back in charge of Real Madrid, this is going to be another explosive El Clasico. For now, Barcelona will be looking to prepare for this upcoming game, but it is clear that the world of football is keenly awaiting the first El Clasico of this season.
Jurgen Klopp, head coach of Germany looks on prior to the UEFA Nations League 2026/27 group phase match between Greece and Germany at Toumba Stadium on October 04, 2026 in Thessaloniki, Greece.
July 2, 2026, Toronto, Ciudad de Mexico, Canada: Joao Cancelo #20 of Portugal warming up during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round Of 32 match between Portugal and Croatia at Toronto Stadium. on July 2, 2026 in Toronto, Canada.
Jose Mourinho, Head Coach of Benfica, looks on prior to the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 League Phase MD4 match between SL Benfica and Bayer 04 Leverkusen at on November 05, 2025 in Lisbon, Portugal.