'This is the only Clasico' - Mourinho's Real trying to stop Barca's shot at history

Barcelona stand on the brink of La Liga history, targeting a 10th consecutive victory to start the league season.

It will surpass the mark set in 1968-69 by Real Madrid, who will have the chance to end that remarkable run on Sunday when the sides meet at Camp Nou.

Barcelona head into Sunday’s El Clasico (20:00 GMT) on the back of a 4-2 Champions League defeat by Paris St-Germain, giving Jose Mourinho’s men the perfect opportunity to capitalise on that setback and wreck the record bid of their rivals.

Real boss Mourinho has insisted his team’s most recent performances, two 4-1 victories against Sevilla and RB Leipzig, would count for little in a fixture that has such global appeal and standing.

“We are in a good dynamic, we play well, we score goals, but the Clasico is different. What we have done before has no influence,” he said.

“There are other important matches in the world, but this is the only Clasico, the world stops.”

Some of football’s biggest names with be involved, with six of this year’s 30 Ballon d’Or nominees available - Barcelona’s Pau Cubarsi, Rodri and Lamine Yamal, and Real Madrid trio Marc Cucurella, Jude Bellingham and Kylian Mbappe.

There will be huge individual battles between them on the pitch too.

Cucurella could find himself trying to stop national team-mate Lamine Yamal down Barcelona’s right, while centre-back Cubarsi could once again face Mbappe, renewing their rivalry after Spain’s 2-0 victory over France in the World Cup semi-final.

Striker Mbappe, though, has been in prolific form for Real, scoring 12 goals in 12 appearances this season.

In midfield, Rodri and Bellingham could provide another fascinating clash between two of the game’s leading players.

With a six-point gap to leaders Barcelona, Mourinho acknowledged his third-placed side were still adapting to his methods and argued comparisons with more established teams were premature.

“We’ve been together for three months if you take away pre-season and international breaks,” he said.

“The players are still getting to know me and the way I do things.”

He also dismissed the idea of making sweeping tactical changes specifically to contain Lamine Yamal.

“He’s a great player, we respect great players. We aren’t going to completely change things. We won’t forget the way we do things,” said Mourinho.

“Madrid with Mourinho wins trophies.”

Barcelona manager Hansi Flick believed his side were ready for the challenge of Real, but admitted they must address defensive weaknesses exposed by PSG in midweek.

“The players have recovered and they’re ready for this game,” he said at his pre-match media conference.

“El Clasico is different, the best match our sport has to offer. Everyone will be watching. You can only win three points, but it’s so much more than that.”

The German praised Madrid’s attacking quality and warned Barcelona could not afford to be complacent.

“I expect a very confident team,” he added. “Real Madrid is a great club with great players and a great coach. They have players with great quality in the final third. They’ve shown that in recent matches. We have to be careful and prepared.”

Flick stressed the importance of positioning and organisation as they prepare to contain Mbappe, although Vinicius Jr will be missing for the visitors through suspension.

“Our positioning is key, both with and without the ball,” he said.

“Without the ball, we need to maintain the right distances between players and stay compact, which is especially important when playing with such a high defensive line.”

Barcelona’s attack, though, has been prolific this season, scoring 50 goals in their 12 games, but questions remain over their defensive solidity, with the Spanish champions having conceded 15.

Madrid’s best chance of success could lie in disrupting Barcelona’s possession and exploiting the spaces behind when their opponents commit players forward.

A compact defensive shape, disciplined pressing and quick transitions could force Barcelona away from their preferred rhythm. Rather than chasing possession, Madrid must remain organised and choose the right moments to attack.

Lamine Yamal will be central to Barcelona’s attacking plans, while Madrid will look to use their pace and quality in the final third to test the home defence.

The midfield battle will also be crucial. If Madrid can win second balls and prevent Barcelona from finding space between the lines, they can reduce the pressure on their defence.

However, defensive discipline alone may not be enough. Madrid must take their chances when they arrive, particularly if Barcelona dominate possession.

Set-pieces could provide another route to goal and Flick specifically identified them as a threat.

“We know Real Madrid’s strengths, and they’re among the best at set-pieces,” he said. “We have to defend better than we did in Paris.”

For Barcelona, victory would not only set a record, but strengthen their position as clear early-season title favourites, opening up a nine-point lead over Real Madrid.

For Mourinho’s men, halting that run would reduce the deficit to three points and deliver a major psychological boost to revive their hopes of domestic success this season.

Fylde sign keeper Pickford on loan from Everton

AFC Fylde have signed goalkeeper George Pickford on a short-term loan deal from Everton.

The 19-year-old has featured for Everton’s U-18 and U-21 sides and appeared for Southport on loan during the second half of last season.

Arsenal fear Saka could be out for two months

Arsenal fear Bukayo Saka could miss a minimum of six weeks with the quadriceps injury he sustained in their Champions League tie against Bayern Munich.

The 25-year-old will undergo an MRI scan on Friday afternoon to better assess the problem, which forced him off in Wednesday’s 2-2 draw at the Allianz Arena.

Fluid around the affected muscle has made diagnosing the injury difficult, but club medics are estimating, after early examinations, Saka will miss a minimum of six weeks and it could be even longer.

If those early concerns are realised, he will miss a clutch of key games for the Gunners, as well as England’s forthcoming Uefa Nations League matches against Croatia and Spain.

“We need a few more scans and opinions from the specialists,” said Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta.

“When a player has to walk off the pitch, he is struggling to walk without any pain, and is restricted to movement; it is not a good sign. Let’s be a little bit patient so we can give a definitive assessment.

“He’s got another MRI as there was quite a lot of fluid in the area so it was quite difficult to understand the extent of the injury. We will know more tomorrow.”

Saka will miss Saturday’s home Premier League match against Everton, where second-placed Arsenal will hope to close a three-point gap on leaders Manchester City.

The Arsenal academy product has had fitness issues in recent months and his game time was managed at the end of last season, as well as with England at the World Cup, because of an Achilles injury he suffered in March.

He missed the March international break and seven games for the Gunners, but returned to help them lift the Premier League title for the first time in 22 years.

Saka started the Champions League final defeat by Paris St-Germain but was substituted after 54 minutes, and only started three of England’s eight games at the World Cup - scoring a hat-trick in the 6-4 third-place win over France.

The forward also had surgery on a hamstring injury he picked up in December 2024, which kept him out for 101 days in the 2024-25 campaign.

He made 49 appearances as Arsenal won the title last term, despite a stop-start season. As well as the Achilles issue, Saka pulled out of a game in January against Leeds with a hip injury in the warm-up, while a hamstring problem also kept him out for about four weeks.

The fact Saka needs follow-up scans and is likely to be out for up to eight weeks is a major blow for Arteta and Arsenal.

The Gunners boss had been speaking about how the player had been adapting his positioning to be more of a regular goalscorer for the club in recent weeks and the winger has scored four goals in 11 appearances so far this season.

But now Saka has gone down with another muscle injury there are questions about whether he still has the robustness that made him a certain starter in the Arsenal team.

He also had his game time managed at the World Cup in the summer with England and Arteta acknowledged Saka’s robustness and availability has “certainly been different in the last year or so”.

Arsenal tried to sign a world-class forward to level up their frontline in the summer but were unable to do so, with unsuccessful pursuits of Vinicius Jr and Julian Alvarez.

They did bring in Greece international Christos Tzolis, but he is currently injured too.

That has left them with Noni Madueke, Eberechi Eze and 16-year-old Max Dowman as alternative wing options.

Teenager Dowman has had limited minutes this season but Arteta spoke glowingly of his talent and ability to impact matches.

Carrick refuses to rule out dropping Fernandes in emotional address

Under-pressure Manchester United boss Michael Carrick delivered a passionate and emotional address lasting five minutes and 30 seconds as he battles to save his job.

And he refused to rule out dropping skipper Bruno Fernandes for Sunday’s Premier League meeting with Bournemouth at Old Trafford.

Instead of taking his seat and answering questions as normal in Friday’s scheduled pre-match media conference at Carrington, Carrick said he wanted to start himself.

It was a strategy former boss Sir Alex Ferguson used, although the legendary Scot rarely spoke at such length.

After a run of seven games without a win, culminating in Wednesday’s shocking 4-1 Champions League defeat by Como, and attacks on the club’s hierarchy by defender Lisandro Martinez and then Fernandes’ condemnation of his own tactics in Italy, Carrick wanted to reaffirm his view of what United stood for.

“Recently we haven’t had a good time, I think that’s pretty obvious,” he said.

“Wednesday was a bad night, and it hurt me to see us play like that. It was unacceptable.

“My responsibility is to get a team on the pitch that represents this football club, and the supporters, and they can be proud of in the identity we show. We have gone away from that recently. It’s important we all recognise that.

“The foundation and values of this football club have been etched for many years. I totally understand and get every single one of them.

“There’s a resilience about this football club that runs very deep. I’ve seen it with my own eyes, I’ve felt it, I’m know some of the individuals closely who have been a big part of that history.

“Entitlement cannot be at this football club.

“It was based on being humble, having humility, and hard work. We can never lose that, and I won’t let us lose that.”

Asked about Fernandes and whether he has considered dropping him, a defiant Carrick added: “The most important thing for me is the team, the squad and dynamics in the squad.

“It’s about the football club. I’ll always do what is best for the football club.”

Club sources said on Thursday Fernandes would not have the captaincy taken away or be fined for his post-match observations following the Como defeat.

In a further interview on Wednesday night with Sky Italia, the Portugal international referred to Manchester United’s storied history.

“At this club, there’s too much focus on what’s been done in the past,” said Fernandes. “But we’re not those people anymore. The club and the players need to understand that.

“Unfortunately for us - especially when it comes to the players - those who join expect to win trophies, win games, and reach the highest level, that’s been very difficult at this club in recent years.”

Whether Carrick was aware of Fernandes’ comments about United’s history before he spoke was uncertain.

When asked again if he would take the captaincy away from the 32-year-old midfielder, Carrick repeated: “I will always do what is best for the football club.”

He then refused to say whether he had spoken to Fernandes about his conduct, adding: “I don’t think this is the time to go into too much detail.”

Despite the challenge to his authority, Carrick said the United dressing room was not divided.

“No, it’s not,” he added. “We just need to get back to doing what we do best.”

Carrick also said the club were ‘doing everything’ to support Fernandes and his family, whose Cheshire home was burgled on Wednesday.

“Thankfully they weren’t directly affected even though it is an awful situation.”

Carrick named legendary United figures such as Ryan Giggs, Wayne Rooney and Ferguson as examples of the humility, sacrifice and hard work expected of United players.

That was at odds with his post-match criticism on Wednesday, when he said if you don’t run forward or back properly, you will not win games.

Asked how he would persuade his current squad to adhere to the values expected and he demanded, Carrick added: “It’s clear as day.

“I’m not telling you anything new. I haven’t invented that. That’s the make-up of any good football team. You have to earn the right to be better than your opponent. That never changes.

“What we look like as a group is my responsibility. That’s the privileged position I am in. I’ll hold that umbrella for me to get wet and everyone else to stay dry.

“[Wednesday] hurts an awful lot, but that doesn’t stop me. That hurt is used as pure motivation and inspiration to want more, expect more and get us going in a different direction.”

Chesterfield's Grigg joins Forest Green Rovers

Forest Green Rovers have signed experienced striker Will Grigg on a free transfer from Chesterfield on a deal until June 2028.

The 35-year-old has scored 192 career goals and made more than 500 appearances in the English Football League during spells with Walsall, Brentford, MK Dons, Wigan Athletic, Sunderland, Rotherham United and Chesterfield.

Grigg, who came close to joining Shrewsbury Town in August, could make his Forest Green debut in Saturday’s National League game at Barrow.

The Northern Ireland international spent three years at Chesterfield, scoring 42 goals in 118 appearances.

He helped the Spireites win the National League title in 2024, securing their return to the EFL after six years outside England’s top four divisions.

“It is a special club with incredible people working hard every day to be successful,” Grigg told Chesterfield’s club website.

“It was a big decision for me personally to drop down when I first joined the club and I haven’t regretted that decision for one second.”