Jules Koundé would once again be in the starting lineup on Sunday in the Real Madrid-FC Barcelona match of matchday 10 of LaLiga. In the press conference prior to the Clásico, Marcus Sorg confirmed the recovery of the right-back, who missed Thursday and Friday's training sessions due to a knock.

"Jules has trained well and we will wait to see how he is after the session. If he is okay, he will play. We have a clear idea of the match," the German coach began by saying. Sorg will replace Hansi Flick on Sunday, after the Competition Committee sanctioned the Barça coach with a match after his expulsion against Girona.

The club presented the corresponding appeals to the Appeals Committee and the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), but none of them could reverse the decision of Jesús Gil Manzano. The referee from Extremadura showed Flick two consecutive yellow cards for protesting the added time and ironically applauding his first card.

Sorg regrets Flick's absence and Raphinha's withdrawal

In this regard, Marcus Sorg regretted the absence of the Barça head coach in Sunday's Clásico. "If Hansi isn't there, he is missed, he is the most important part of the team. It's a disadvantage, but it's the same as with the players. You have to give one hundred percent and manage this situation in the best way," explained the man from Ulm.

Similarly, Flick's first assistant confirmed that Raphinha will also miss out against Real Madrid. The Brazilian had returned to training with the squad on Wednesday, but relapsed from his injury to his right thigh and could be out for up to another month.

"Any team would want to have Raphinha, but the situation is what it is. He's injured." He also left Ferran Torres's place in the starting lineup 'up in the air,' as he also missed the last two matches due to an overload.

"We'll see if he starts, we'll decide tomorrow," Sorg explained. Similarly, the coach is confident that he will see Lamine Yamal "at his best" in what will be his eighth Clásico. "He is a top player and this is a motivating match for him."

Beyond the weight of Flick's absence on the bench, Sorg explained that the Barça head coach led Saturday's training session "motivated and in good spirits," key aspects to release tension regarding such an important match.

"It's an honor to be on the bench tomorrow, it's a special occasion. We expect a very difficult match. We have to show our strengths"

Marcus Sorg Reveals the Keys for Barça to Win at the Bernabéu

Regarding the type of match that Barça will encounter on Sunday, Sorg recalled the 0-4 victory in the last visit to Chamartín. Until halftime, the match was tied without goals and the key for the 'culés' was to masterfully apply the high press and the offside trap.

"You have to have good pressure, play as a unit and have possession... If we do that, we can take the victory," Sorg explained. In that sense, the German coach made it clear that there will be some adjustments regarding the starting eleven against Olympiacos. He also added:

"We have to do things well, apply pressure with and without the ball, move the line up if necessary... But we will not change our way of playing, it wouldn't help us." Sorg also didn't want to talk about the referees, although he understands the difficulty of going to a Bernabéu where "anything can happen".

Hansi Flick's first assistant also assured that Real Madrid has improved in its quick transitions. For this reason, it is key to "face the first line", since everyone presses. For Sorg, it will be his first Clásico and the third league match, after the duels last year against Leganés (0-1) and Atlético (1-2), both in Montjuïc.

"We've analyzed the matches, if we lose the ball and we lose, we have to learn. We've worked on solutions. We have to make sure we don't lose the ball"