Mourinho starts his Clasico early: "We are losing 24 hours of rest"

Jose Mourinho has already started playing the Clasico. After Real Madrid's 4-1 win over Leipzig at the Santiago Bernabeu on the third matchday of the Champions League, the head coach put the spotlight on the weekend clash against Barcelona and pointed out the recovery disadvantage his side faces: the Catalan team will have an extra day of rest.

• Real Madrid beat Leipzig 4-1 with a strong performance from Bernardo Silva, who scored the opening goal.
• Mourinho lamented having 24 fewer hours of rest than Barcelona before the Clasico.
• He explained the Vinicius substitution and defended the strong form of Brahim and Camavinga.
• He was unhappy with the early leak about the Clasico referee and with the goal his team conceded.

Mourinho's warning ahead of the Clasico against Barcelona

The Portuguese coach did not avoid the Barcelona question and delivered a line that sums up his stance: "For the Clasico there is no confidence, it is one more league match, but to say it is a match like the others is a lie, completely out of reality." Speaking to Movistar+, Mourinho was direct about the schedule: "We are losing 24 hours of rest, but there we go."

Real Madrid head into the Clasico with their Champions League campaign on track and encouraging attacking form, although the coach keeps a demanding tone. He refused to give clues about the lineup or a possible role for Fede Valverde: "I do not talk about tactics for Sunday's match, not even for next Saturday. I am honest."

Bernardo Silva and meritocracy in the Real Madrid starting eleven

Mourinho was full of praise for Bernardo Silva, who opened the scoring against Leipzig. "Bernardo is one of those who had not started a match for a long time, he also has the merit to play and he had a great match," he said. Looking at the game itself, he felt his team played a decent first half but lacked intensity: "We played well in the first half, but at a low rhythm. When we increased the rhythm, it is another story."

When we increased the rhythm, it is another story.

The Vinicius and Camavinga substitutions, explained by the coach

Mourinho explained the reasons behind several substitutions that raised questions. On Vinicius, replaced by Diomande, he made clear it was not a decision based on the Clasico: "The intention was not to think about the Clasico. Diomande fresh, coming on with 20 or 30 minutes left, is difficult because he has important speed." Still, he praised the Brazilian's work: "Vini had a good match, tactically for his coach a good match. Vini closed down very well."

The coach also outlined his squad management approach: "It is a coach's decision who is happy with the player but has a rich bench. It is a situation you should get used to because it will happen in more matches."

On Camavinga, the Portuguese stressed that the Frenchman "had a great match." He recalled that Arda Guler and Tchouameni played in that zone against Sevilla, and that the changes worked: "I changed both of them today and it went well." He also had words for Brahim: "Every time he is on the pitch I am liking him a lot. I need to buy something on Amazon that measures meritocracy."

The conceded goal and the referee appointment, the dark spots of the night

The only blemish on the win was the goal Real Madrid conceded, which denied Thibaut Courtois a clean sheet. Mourinho was particularly upset: "I feel sorry about the goal against because it was a goal Courtois did not deserve. He had a great first half but in the second we could not hold the result." The coach valued the Belgian's saves and regretted that his teammates ruined his night: "One who makes the two saves he made does not deserve his teammates to spoil his night."

The Portuguese also reacted to the possible appointment of the referee for the Clasico, news he did not like: "I do not think it is true because it is information that arrives before the match. If it is true, I do not like it."

Champions League goal: 9 points and pushing for direct qualification

With the win, Real Madrid now have 9 points and are well placed to reach the play-off, although Mourinho still targets the 20 points that could secure direct qualification: "The conclusion is that we have 9 points, we are very close to the play-off, but we are very far from the 20 points that may be needed to qualify directly." The next European trip is to Athens, and it comes just before the visit to Valencia: "We have to keep going. Next is Athens in a difficult situation, because two days later we play in Valencia. A situation to think about, but that will come. Now we have Sunday."