Will the Clasico turn into a disaster? Mourinho faces a terrifying test

Real Madrid's defensive problems have run on since last season. The team have struggled to implement a cohesive collective system, and much of the criticism has fallen on the forwards for failing to provide the defensive support required.

According to a statistic published by AS ahead of the match, Mourinho's side have kept a clean sheet in La Liga only against Malaga and Villarreal, both at the Santiago Bernabeu.

That lays bare the scale of the task facing the Portuguese coach against a Barcelona attack producing exceptional numbers since the start of the season. The Catalans have won their first nine league matches, scoring 39 goals and conceding 9, matching the best start in the competition's history, set by Real Madrid in 1968-1969.

Across all competitions, Barcelona's tally climbs to 50 goals scored and 15 conceded in 12 matches.

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Lamine Yamal has emerged as one of Barcelona's deadliest attacking weapons. He has scored 8 goals and provided 6 assists in his first 9 league matches, reaching 14 goal contributions, according to "Opta" statistics.

Yet the threat hardly stops with him. Barcelona have torn teams apart in their big wins this season, thrashing Elche by a clean five, brushing aside Valencia by five goals without reply and crushing Racing Santander 7-2, before beating Real Betis 5-2.

Barcelona lost 4-2 to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League, but their domestic record proves they will punish any defensive lapse. That leaves Real Madrid's players needing to squeeze the spaces and stop the ball reaching the attacking playmakers too easily.

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Real Madrid's troubles grew in the hours before the Clasico. The club announced that Thibaut Courtois had been ruled out with flu symptoms, then called up young goalkeeper Illia Voloshyn in his place.

Courtois' absence would land a heavy blow on the Royal club. The Belgian has been an influential figure in rescuing his side through recent matches, and Madrid need a more solid defensive display to face Barcelona's attack.

Before the Clasico, Courtois had played 12 matches for Real Madrid across La Liga and the Champions League, racking up 1080 minutes. He conceded 14 goals, made 45 saves and kept a clean sheet in just two of them, according to statistics from Real Madrid's official website.

In La Liga alone, the Belgian played 9 matches and conceded 9 goals, making 29 saves at a save rate of 76.3%.

Either way, Mourinho faces a complex and frightening tactical test, one that could turn the Clasico into a disaster. The challenge is not simply covering for his first-choice goalkeeper. He must also fix the collective flaw that has repeatedly allowed opponents through to his goal, and Barcelona's attacking arsenal is as dangerous as they come.

Sharpening the pressing from the front line and shrinking the spaces between the lines will prove decisive. Get those right, and Real Madrid can limit Barcelona's threat and return with a positive result from the Clasico.

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