Van der Vaart: Real Madrid will punish Barcelona on the counter; I back Mbappé for Ballon d'Or

Former Real Madrid midfielder Rafael van der Vaart believes Real Madrid will defeat Barcelona in Sunday's El Clásico. He said Mourinho's team has developed a winning mentality and tactical discipline, allowing them to exploit their opponents' weaknesses.

In an interview with Winwin, the Dutchman predicted that Real Madrid would capitalize on Barcelona's turnovers, especially when their players push forward aggressively. Despite Barcelona's strong home record, Van der Vaart expects the visitors to punish them on the counter-attack.

"I hope Real Madrid win this match. Although Barcelona play well, I think Real Madrid can exploit Barcelona's turnovers very effectively and pose a threat on the counter-attack. I believe they will punish Barcelona," he said.

Van der Vaart identifies Real Madrid's biggest advantage over Barcelona

Van der Vaart's prediction is not based solely on the individual talent of Real Madrid's players. He believes Mourinho's team has grown psychologically stronger, making them particularly difficult to beat. The players are willing to fight for their coach and remain disciplined across the pitch.

Van der Vaart stated: "I think the biggest difference is that Real Madrid has become a winning machine. The players fight for the coach, giving their all in every area of the pitch. Mourinho's style is evident—they play as a team and with discipline. You don't need to play beautiful football to win; what matters is winning."

Barcelona's defeat by PSG unlikely to affect El Clásico

Barcelona lost 2-4 to PSG in their previous match, but Van der Vaart believes the defeat will not necessarily affect their performance against Real Madrid.

Van der Vaart said: "No, I don't think losing to PSG will affect Barcelona. Of course, losing an important match is never good, especially when you lose 2-4—that's quite a painful defeat."

"But I think Sunday's match will be completely different. Barcelona is an experienced team that will be playing at home, where they are accustomed to winning, so it will be an interesting match."

Van der Vaart also ruled out significant tactical changes from Mourinho for the match. He said: "No, I don't think there will be any surprises. I think he will essentially field the same lineup as he did against Leipzig, when they won at home."

Van der Vaart tips Mbappé to win the Ballon d'Or

The former Real Madrid player also voiced strong support for Kylian Mbappé to win the Ballon d'Or.

"Mbappé should win the Ballon d'Or. I think he is currently far ahead of the other players and performs at an extremely high level in almost every match," Van der Vaart said.

He also highlighted Mbappé's outstanding World Cup performance as a key factor in his candidacy and said the forward deserves recognition for his overall achievements.

"Furthermore, he was very impressive at the World Cup, so I think he deserves this award," he concluded.