Mourinho tried to reduce the emotional noise around the fixture, adding: “Mas, no fim, é um jogo de três pontos.”
That balance will be central to Real’s approach. Madrid derbies demand intensity, but they can also punish teams that lose their structure. Atlético’s home ground has been an uncomfortable destination for Real, who have reportedly won only once in their last seven La Liga visits there.
For Mourinho, the challenge is to bring his familiar defensive organisation and competitive edge without allowing the occasion to dictate every decision.
The last Madrid derby of Mourinho’s previous Real tenure ended in a 2-1 Atlético victory after extra time in the 2012-13 Copa del Rey final. Two days later, the club and manager announced their separation at the end of the season.
That history gives Sunday’s contest an added storyline. Mourinho is not simply returning to a familiar rivalry; he is revisiting the fixture that closed his first chapter in Madrid.
His derby record since then has been mixed. He enjoyed strong results against Arsenal during his Chelsea years and produced a memorable Manchester derby win with United, but his spells in Rome and Turkey brought far fewer victories in local rivalries.
Mourinho has spoken of the Milan derby as the most unexpected rivalry of his career, surprised by the everyday coexistence between Inter and Milan supporters. Madrid, however, offers a different kind of pressure: history, title stakes and a hostile away setting.
The result will shape more than the table. It will provide an early measure of whether Mourinho’s second Real Madrid era can handle football’s biggest domestic occasions.