Jose Mourinho, the Real Madrid manager, has confirmed his focus is firmly on the Champions League clash with Leipzig before he turns his attention to the eagerly awaited Clasico against Barcelona. The Catalans' meeting with Paris Saint-Germain, meanwhile, offers a valuable chance to study the ideas of Hansi Flick and the plans he may lean on in that fixture.
According to the Spanish newspaper "Sport", Mourinho said in the press conference following the match against Sevilla: "We have to play in the Champions League. For now, this is the only match we are thinking about. I will not waste a single minute until Wednesday at eleven o'clock in the evening thinking about our league opponent next Sunday."
The Clasico is off his radar for now. But the moment his European tie is done, Mourinho and his assistants will get to work analysing Barcelona under Flick, who heads into Sunday's showdown at the Spotify Camp Nou in circumstances that could affect his preparations.
The Portuguese knows this Barcelona side and its sources of danger well. The irony is that the Catalans' trip to Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday may hand Real Madrid the clearest picture of the plan Flick will trust.
PSG, after all, are the toughest opponent Barcelona have faced all season. The game unfolds at the Parc des Princes under exceptional circumstances, with Flick braced for absences that look set to bite at the Clasico too.
Whether Mourinho watches live from the stands or catches it later, his eyes will be fixed on Luis Enrique's side.
Barcelona's defence will draw his sharpest scrutiny. The recent absences of Jules Kounde and Eric Garcia, the two men who have filled the right-back slot at various points this season, have left it exposed.
Watch the side Flick picks in Paris. It could betray his thinking ahead of Sunday's big one.
Kounde might yet be fit to face Real Madrid, mind, and that would hand the German extra options to reshuffle his back line.
Expectations are building over the tactical plan Mourinho may deploy against Barcelona. The absence of Vinicius Junior and what now looks like a permanent switch for Federico Valverde to right-back have both sharpened Real Madrid's performances.
Arda Guler offers the team more creative solutions too, while Diomande and Endrick on the wings beef up both the attacking threat and the defensive graft, freeing Jude Bellingham to roam.
Caution has defined Real's biggest tests so far. That was true in the two Champions League fixtures against Inter Milan and Roma, and in the capital derby against Atletico Madrid.
Whether that stemmed from Mourinho's approach or the opponents' edge over him, the Royal side ceded possession and spent long spells under pressure in those games.
So the biggest question mark before Barcelona is simple: how much pressure will the Portuguese dare to pile on Flick's side? Pressing them high in their own defensive areas is a double-edged weapon, and it all comes down to how bold Mourinho decides to be.
For now, Leipzig on Wednesday is all that matters. Only then will he start dissecting his most prominent rival at home.