October 22
Spanish newspapers review exciting statistics in response to “Special One”
A report in a Catalan newspaper responded to the statements of Portuguese Jose Mourinho, Real Madrid coach, regarding Barcelona getting an additional day of rest before El Clásico, which is scheduled to be held next Sunday, based on the record of confrontations that came after the Champions League matches, which shows that the royal team has historically received more days of rest than its rival.
Mourinho raised the issue after the confrontation between Real Madrid and Leipzig, saying: “At the moment, we have 24 hours less than Barcelona to rest before El Clásico.”
The Portuguese coach's complaint came in light of Real Madrid playing its European match on Wednesday at its stadium, while Barcelona played against Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday in the French capital, forcing the Catalan team to return via a night flight.
But the Catalan newspaper saw that Mourinho's statements do not reflect the complete historical picture, noting that El Clasico will be held on Sunday at nine o'clock in the evening, which is the time that gives the two teams the longest possible period of rest after their European commitments.
The numbers give Barcelona a historical argument
According to the report, since the 2018-2019 season, Sunday’s Clasico will be the eighth confrontation held during the month of October after the two teams played Champions League matches during the midweek.
During these confrontations, Real Madrid received 26 days of rest between Champions League and Spanish League matches, compared to 23 days for Barcelona, according to statistics reported by the newspaper.
The report excluded from the calculations the Clasico of the 2019-2020 season, which was postponed due to fears of violent incidents in light of the political situation that Catalonia witnessed at the time against the backdrop of the independence movement.
That match was scheduled to be held on Saturday at one o'clock in the afternoon at Camp Nou Stadium, after Barcelona faced Slavia Prague in Prague on Wednesday, while Real Madrid played against Galatasaray in Istanbul on Tuesday, at the same time.
Barcelona was more affected by Saturday's dates
The Catalan newspaper's argument was not limited to the total number of rest days, but rather extended to the number of times each team had to play El Clásico on Saturday, following a European match held on Wednesday.
According to the report, Barcelona faced Real Madrid twice in these circumstances, compared to once for the Royal Team, which means that the Catalan club was subjected to this busy schedule more than its rival.
The report indicated that holding El Clasico on Sunday at nine o’clock in the evening represents the furthest possible date after the Champions League matches, in light of the match between Seville and Osasuna being held on Monday, coinciding with the Ballon d’Or ceremony in London at nine o’clock in the evening.
