With Vinicius Junior and Alvaro Carreras named in the starting lineup, the Portuguese coach turned to two of his stalwarts for the final 20 minutes: Yan Diomande and Marc Cucurella. The former sealed the victory with a sublime strike, while the latter conserved his energy ahead of a looming duel with Lamine Yamal.

Another major takeaway for Real Madrid is that Ibrahima Konate and Aurelien Tchouameni, both rested against RB Leipzig, are tipped to start in Catalonia. Bernardo Silva seized his opportunity with both hands, whilst Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham were substituted in the 88th minute with the 4-1 triumph already firmly in the bag.

Fede Valverde retained his berth at right-back ahead of Trent Alexander-Arnold and Denzel Dumfries. With the fixture that brings the football world to a standstill right around the corner, the 'Merengue' outfit have recharged their batteries for the crunch clash—one they must navigate without the suspended Vinicius Junior.