Mourinho challenges Barcelona in a tough test.

These statistics place Mourinho in a challenging position, especially since limiting Barcelona's dominance was a key motivation behind Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez's decision to bring the Portuguese coach back to the club, following his first tenure in which he ended Barcelona's reign in La Liga by winning the title in 2012.

Mourinho's return to face Barcelona is intertwined with a long history of tension, as his first term as Real Madrid coach featured a series of charged encounters with Guardiola, peaking in 2011 when the two teams met four times in 18 days across La Liga, the Copa del Rey, and the UEFA Champions League.

The first encounter ended in a 1-1 draw in the league, before Real Madrid claimed the Copa del Rey with a goal from Portuguese Cristiano Ronaldo in extra time. Barcelona, however, triumphed in both legs of the Champions League semi-finals, winning the first leg 2-0 and drawing the second leg 1-1.

That period was marked by repeated disputes over refereeing decisions, notably Mourinho's protest over the red card shown to compatriot Pepe during a Champions League match, as well as the incident where he physically confronted Barcelona's then-assistant coach Tito Vilanova during a match in August 2011.

Mourinho previously worked on Barcelona's coaching staff in the 1990s as an assistant to Englishman Bobby Robson and Dutchman Louis van Gaal, before his relationship with the Catalan club soured, especially after Guardiola was appointed as head coach in 2008, succeeding Dutchman Frank Rijkaard.

Mourinho's controversial methods are once again on display in his current tenure, as he protested refereeing decisions during the derby match against Atlético Madrid, relying on printed documents to defend his stance on incidents he believed warranted red cards for opposing players.

The Portuguese coach also refused to attend the press conference after Brazilian forward Vinícius Júnior was sent off against Villarreal, a move reminiscent of his well-known approach to managing the pressures surrounding his team, which some observers see as a way to divert attention from player performances and match results.

Despite these circumstances, Real Madrid enters the match against Barcelona with relatively high morale, having achieved four consecutive victories in La Liga and the Champions League, with signs of stability in Mourinho's tactical choices after a period of player rotation.

One of the most notable changes in the team has been the deployment of Uruguayan midfielder Federico Valverde at right-back in the last two matches, despite Mourinho initially ruling out using him in that position at the start of his current tenure.

The Portuguese coach praised Valverde's performance following the victory over German side RB Leipzig, considering that the player delivered an excellent match and contributed to creating numerous attacking opportunities from the right flank.

This change has led to a reorganization of the midfield, as Mourinho gave Turkish player Arda Güler a chance against Sevilla, followed by Portuguese Bernardo Silva against Leipzig, which improved Real Madrid's ball retention and attacking build-up.

However, Mourinho acknowledged that his team has not yet reached the level he aspires to, explaining that the time he has spent since returning to the club, which has exceeded one hundred days, has not been sufficient to implement all of his ideas, despite the improvements the team has shown in various aspects of their performance.

The match against Barcelona remains a different test for the Portuguese coach's tactical options, as he previously relied on deploying defender Pepe in midfield to limit the threat posed by the Catalan team, leaving open the possibility of reverting to a defensive strategy aimed at disrupting the possession and quick passing style that characterizes Flick's team.