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Spain's biggest football fixture arrives on Sunday night at Camp Nou with as many as 14 new faces that could make their Clasico debuts, but the return of Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho to the fixture will attract the most attention of all.Real Madrid and Barcelona both made six signings in the close season, while the Catalan club have promoted two youth academy products to their senior squad, injecting the tie with a fresh crop of players keen to leave their mark on the rivalry.Among them is Brazilian striker Gabriel Jesus, who joined Barcelona from Arsenal in September."Barcelona against Real Madrid is, without a doubt, amongst the biggest in the world," Jesus told Reuters on Thursday ahead of the first meeting between the two sides this season."It really is a dream to play in the Clasico for the first time. I've never made a secret of my desire to one day wear the Barcelona shirt and that goal includes playing in El Clasico."Jesus is no stranger to facing Real Madrid, having scored three times against Los Blancos in four matches for Manchester City."They were memorable Champions League clashes, including a goal at the Bernabeu," he said.The 29-year-old Jesus grew up 8,797km away in Sao Paulo, and he could line up alongside Xavi Espart, who was born in Barcelona and came through their youth academy. One of nine academy graduates in their squad, Espart highlighted the implications of the match both in the standings and in the rivalry."The truth is, it’s going to be a war. We will go all out, it’s a Clasico," Espart told DAZN."You always have to give 100 percent, now we have the chance to extend our lead and we'll fight to the death."Victory for Barcelona would extend the gap in LaLiga between the two teams to nine points, a sizable margin to overcome. Should Real come away with a win, it would not only halve the current six-point gap, but provide a much-needed confidence boost for a side that has lost six of the last seven Clasicos. MOURINHO'S RETURNAt the other end of the experience scale to Espart is Mourinho. The 63-year-old is a veteran of 27 matches against Barcelona and 17 Clasicos on the Real bench.Real Madrid President Florentino Perez first appointed Mourinho as manager in 2010 to compete with Pep Guardiola's Barcelona, and he will hope the Portuguese can wrest the LaLiga title back to the Bernabeu for a second time.Mourinho's first spell at Real coincided with arguably the most heated encounters in the modern history of El Clasico, and there will be numerous cameras trained on his every move at Camp Nou on Sunday.The Portuguese manager won just once in his first 10 Clasicos, but went unbeaten in his final five games against Barcelona, recording three victories.Recovering the winning formula against Barcelona may well represent a turning point in Mourinho's second Real Madrid tenure, after two losses in their opening nine LaLiga games and frequent whistles from their own fans during home games. 

Real Madrid winger Vinicius Jr issued a public apology after his angry reaction to being substituted during Sunday's heated 2-1 El Clasico victory over Barcelona had him storm straight to the changing rooms.The Brazilian was withdrawn in the 71st minute and replaced by compatriot Rodrygo, despite having played a key part in the winning goal and running Barcelona's right back Jules Kounde ragged during the fiery encounter.Vinicius made his displeasure known to manager Xabi Alonso before heading directly to the dressing room, casting a shadow over what should have been a celebratory moment as Real ended a four-game losing streak against their bitter rivals.While Vinicius revealed he had personally apologised to his teammates and club president Florentino Perez, notably absent from his statement was any mention of Alonso. "Today I want to apologise to all Real Madrid fans for my reaction when I was substituted in El Clasico," Vinicius said via his social media accounts. "As I have already done in person during today's training session, I also want to apologise again to my teammates, the club and the president."The 25-year-old attributed his outburst to his competitive drive, explaining: "Sometimes my passion gets the better of me because I always want to win and help my team. My competitive nature stems from the love I feel for this club and everything it represents."Vinicius has had a testy relationship with Alonso since he took over as manager in May. Alonso has substituted him in most games this season even though Vinicius has been linking up well with forward Kylian Mbappe.But even after storming off the pitch, his part in a testy match was not over. He reemerged just before the final whistle after Pedri was sent off and a fight broke out between the teams. He had to be shepherded away from the scene as he argued with Barca players.Real have 27 points at the top of the La Liga standings, five ahead of Barcelona in second.

Al Sadd and Al Rayyan will renew their storied rivalry in the Qatar Clasico Thursday at the Jassim bin Hamad Stadium, headlining the ninth round of the Qatar Stars League.The two giants of Qatari football meet under contrasting circumstances — Al Sadd are desperate to end a worrying winless run, while Al Rayyan arrive brimming with confidence after climbing into the top four.The reigning champions Al Sadd have struggled to find their rhythm this season, going four games without victory, including a 3-1 defeat to Al Arabi in the previous round that left them languishing in seventh place with eight points. For Sergio Allegri’s men, a turnaround is imperative if they are to keep their title hopes alive.“It is clear that the match against Al Rayyan will be very evenly matched,” said Al Sadd coach Allegri Wednesday. “They are coming off a good win and will have high morale, but we are working hard to get the three points and move up the standings. The players are motivated — they know how important this match is for everyone at the club, especially the fans.”Al Rayyan, meanwhile, are enjoying a strong campaign under Portuguese coach Artur Jorge. A 2-0 victory over Al Wakrah in the last round lifted them to fourth place on 13 points, with Brazilian striker Roger Guedes leading the league scoring charts with seven goals.“The Al Sadd match will be a big one because it’s against the league champions and the best team in the league,” said Jorge. “We’ll play with the same approach — to win — and we’re confident of achieving victory. The management did a great job in the transfer window, and now we need to build a winning mentality. I promise the fans we’ll fight for every title.”Rayyan forward Rodrigo Moreno is also relishing the challenge. “It will be a big match against the league champions, and we must prepare in the best possible way,” he said. “We’re focused, and the coach is always pushing us to perform at our best to get the three points.”In another high-stakes showdown Thursday, Al Gharafa will take on Al Duhail at Thani Bin Jassim Stadium in a clash that could reshape the top of the standings. Al Gharafa sit second with 16 points after defeating Al Ahli 3-1 in the previous round, while Al Duhail are fifth with 11 points following a 2-0 victory over Al Shamal.Friday’s fixtures will feature league leaders Qatar SC, who face Al Wakrah at the Saud bin Abdulrahman Stadium. Qatar SC, under Spanish coach Marquez Lopez, lead the table with 17 points after edging Umm Salal 2-1 last week. Al Wakrah, who slipped to sixth with 11 points after losing to Al Rayyan, will be determined to bounce back and stay within reach of the leading pack.Also Friday, Al Arabi will look to build on their morale-boosting 3-1 win over Al Sadd when they meet Al Shahaniya at Al Thumama Stadium. The victory lifted Al Arabi to eighth place, while Al Shahaniya, rooted to the bottom with four points, are under pressure to respond following a narrow 1-0 loss to Al Sailiya.Saturday’s action sees Al Sailiya take on Al Ahli at Hamad Bin Khalifa Stadium. Al Sailiya have surged off the bottom with back-to-back wins and now sit ninth with six points, while Al Ahli are second from bottom on goal difference after their defeat to Al Gharafa. At Al Khor Stadium, Umm Salal will meet Al Shamal in a crucial tie for both teams. Al Shamal dropped from first to third following their first loss of the campaign to Al Duhail, while Umm Salal, with just six points, are desperate to stop a run of two straight defeats.