It seems to have been an awfully long time since Jose Mourinho last cracked a smile, or at least one that was anything more than ironic. Real Madrid has been playing catch-up in La Liga since Barcelona dished out the worst drubbing of Mourinho's managerial career at Camp Nou this past November. After that 5-0 humbling, and the two-point gap it opened at the top of the table in the Catalans' favor, the Portuguese stated that the title race would be tight until the end of the season.
"We find ourselves two points behind and I can't see this changing," Mourinho told reporters at the time. "It could be two points, one point or four points, but it's going to be a close race. Barcelona is a finished article and we need a chance to gel."
Five months later the league is all but lost, by Mourinho's own admission, but Real has not one chance, but four, to test the course of its evolution against the current best team in the world. The upcoming series of Clasicos in the league, King's Cup and two-legged Champions League is not entirely unprecedented, but the First World War was raging elsewhere in Europe when it last occurred, in the semifinals of the Spanish Championship in 1916. (Barca won one, Real two and one ended in a tie.)
But Mourinho has already done well in his debut season in La Liga, guiding Real to a first cup final since 2004 (a 3-2 loss to Real Zaragoza) and ending a dismal run since that same season of last-16 exits in the Champions League.
And it is in the elimination-based tournaments that Mourinho must prove himself: This series of matches is not so much season-defining for Real as career-defining for the Special One. Win all four and a statue will be erected outside the Bernabeu swiftly enough. Lose all four and his reputation will take a serious hit.
The Portuguese must choose his battles. Barca coach Pep Guardiola is probably not that bothered about Saturday's match. Naturally, he will want to maintain his perfect record against Mourinho -- five wins with an aggregate scoreline of 16-2. While Guardiola will not field half of Barcelona B, changes may be made after a lengthy trip to Ukraine and with Wednesday's cup final in mind. But the manager holds the trump card -- his side's eight-point lead at the top of the table. Even a Real victory would not make a jot of difference in the title race. Real faces a much tougher run-in than Barca, and it is difficult to forecast the current champion dropping six points in the final seven games.
Guardiola can afford the luxury of a single defeat. For Barcelona, the issue is winning the war, not prevailing in this battle. After his side's capitulation in Catalonia, Mourinho is duty-bound to field his full armory, but should an injury befall any of his key players, victory would be Pyrrhic in nature.
The returns of Karim Benzema, Gonzalo Higuain and Kaka from various injuries strengthen Real considerably, and Barcelona has yet to contend with the towering threat of Emmanuel Adebayor, an uncommon type of player in La Liga who can cause Barca's makeshift central defense all manner of discomfort.
The playing field has certainly been leveled since November and Real will prove a sterner adversary than it did at Camp Nou. As Mourinho surmised, time has improved his team and Barcelona, by its own standards, has struggled for league goals in recent weeks. Lionel Messi, though, has been back to his impish best of late and has taken his tally for the season to 48, eclipsing the club record held by one Ronaldo Luis Nazario de Lima. The Brazilian's namesake, Cristiano, has yet to score in a Clasico, but that will surely not be the case in three weeks' time.
By that time, the great Spanish debate will have been answered. Saturday's match is just the sparring before the fight begins in earnest. The real blows will be administered in the knockout competitions and whichever team is left on the canvas will have its standing called into question. The next 18 days could witness the greatest coup of Mourinho's illustrious career, or provide undeniable proof that this Barca side is peerless in the modern game.