Barcelona Faces PSG Fallout Before Mourinho's Return to Camp Nou

Barcelona will host Real Madrid at Camp Nou on Sunday with a chance to open a nine-point lead in La Liga, though the build-up has been marked by the Spanish champions' first loss of the season. Hansi Flick's side was beaten 4-2 by Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League on Tuesday, a result that arrived three days before the league's decisive fixture.

The defeat in Paris stands in contrast to Real Madrid's recent form. Madrid has won four consecutive matches. A victory on Sunday would cut the current six-point gap in half. Madrid has lost six of its last seven El Clasicos.

Jose Mourinho, 63, returns to the fixture with a long record against Barcelona. He has been involved in 27 matches against the club and has managed in 17 El Clasicos on the Real Madrid bench. Florentino Perez first appointed Mourinho as manager in 2010, and the president is seeking a second La Liga title from the Bernabeu under his management.

Flick said he expects a Madrid side arriving with "a lot of confidence" and added that he has the highest respect for Mourinho. "When you're managing teams on this level for so many years and you always have success, it's about quality," Flick said. He said the loss in Paris provided material for review. "We analysed this game. We did many things really good, but we saw some situations where we have to improve," Flick said.

Mourinho, who managed Real Madrid from 2010, described the current run of form as separate from the weekend's stakes. "We've been in a good dynamic, winning games, playing well, scoring goals, but in El Clasico, it doesn't matter what you did before," Mourinho said. "Normally, the football world stops to watch it."

The match begins on Sunday at Camp Nou.