BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Jose Mourinho can go from abrasive to charming in public appearances.
The veteran Portuguese coach chose to be at his gracious best on Saturday when journalists pressed him to give hints of his game plan a day before Real Madrid's visit to Barcelona in the clasico.
“You can ask me another question,” Mourinho told reporters in Spain's capital, “but my plans for the game — who is going to play, what formation we are going to use, what style of play we’ll try to impose — I am not going to answer those questions.”
And when a journalist tried one last time by asking Mourinho if he thought Barcelona’s defense was its “weak point,” the coach praised him for making the effort, even if it was in vain.
“You are smart, but I am not stupid,” Mourinho responded, and earned a huge laugh from the press room.
Over his long and successful career Mourinho has generally preferred sides that look first to defend well and then strike on the break. So few doubt he will vary from that strategy on Sunday against a Barcelona that has a superior midfield and wants to hold possession.
Yet there remain questions about his lineup, especially regarding where he will play playmaker Arda Guler and Federico Valverde, who can play either in midfield or right back.
Mourinho started a second stint with Madrid this season and can expect a hostile welcome from Barcelona’s fans.
In his first period at Madrid from 2010-13, he took the rivalry between Spain’s biggest clubs to new heights thanks to his team’s tough tactics and his own verbal jousting with counterpart Pep Guardiola.
But Mourinho downplayed the expected fan reaction on his return.
“It’s just like going to any other stadium,” he said. “It’s not the same to play against a high-quality team as it is to play against a less strong one, but it’s no big deal.”
Barcelona leads La Liga with Madrid six points behind in third place, but it is looking to bounce back from its 4-2 loss at Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League midweek.
Hansi Flick's side won its previous 11 games this season.
“We’ve analysed the game. We did some things very well, but there are other areas where we need to improve," Flick said on Saturday about the PSG stumble. "Tomorrow is a great opportunity to do that and show how we want to play.”
Flick said Barcelona was almost at full strength but will be missing right back Jules Koundé along with injured midfielder Dani Olmo.
Koundé’s absence removes any doubt that Xavi Espart will start at right back and face off with another 19-year-old in Madrid’s Yan Diomande.
See AP’s full soccer coverage here
Real Madrid's head coach Jose Mourinho gestures during a Champions League opening phase soccer match between Roma and Real Madrid, in Rome, Wednesday, Oct.14, 2026. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
Real Madrid's head coach Jose Mourinho sits on the bench before the La Liga soccer match between Real Madrid and Sevilla in Madrid, Spain, Sunday, Oct. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
Real Madrid's head coach Jose Mourinho sits on the bench before the La Liga soccer match between Real Madrid and Sevilla in Madrid, Spain, Sunday, Oct. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine’s access to Starlink and Starshield satellite links has been restored to the speeds it had before restrictions that disrupted front-line operations for more than a week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Saturday.
“The speeds are now where they need to be,” Zelenskyy wrote on X, adding that restoration began overnight and were sufficient by Saturday morning, improving front-line logistics and defense against Russian jet-powered Shahed drones.
The restoration follows a new U.S. diplomatic push to end the war. Russia agreed Wednesday to resume three-way negotiations with Washington and Kyiv next month. On Friday, Kyiv and Moscow also agreed to a localized ceasefire brokered by first lady Melania Trump around Oleshky, a war-ravaged, Russian-occupied town in Ukraine’s southern Kherson region.
Restrictions imposed last week on Starshield — SpaceX’s military-grade version of the Starlink satellite internet service and the backbone of Ukraine’s drone operations and communication — alarmed the country’s military and government officials, with commanders reporting lost drones and disrupted missions.
The episode added to tensions between Kyiv and Washington, a relationship already strained by President Donald Trump’s reported deal with Moscow on Russian diesel imports, which Ukraine viewed as a betrayal.
Ukraine's Defense Minister Yevhenii Khmara credited “direct dialogue” and Zelenskyy’s diplomacy with Washington, adding that the outcome mattered most “for our front, for the military, the work of drones, logistics and communications.”
Zelenskyy on Friday said Ukraine was still experiencing Starlink and Starshield speed limits.
Questions have persisted since last week about who ordered the interruptions to the Elon Musk-made satellite internet system that Ukraine has relied on for years to counter Moscow’s attacks.
Trump has maintained that he didn’t make the call, while also saying Musk should not be blamed. Vice President JD Vance has hinted at White House coordination with Musk, while Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth have denied any administration involvement.
Meanwhile, a man was killed and two others wounded in a missile attack on the city of Lozova in Ukraine's Kharkiv region, local officials said Saturday.
Moscow-installed authorities in cities across Russia-occupied Crimea reported power blackouts Saturday following overnight Ukrainian attacks.
Ukraine’s General Staff said Saturday that its forces hit a chemical plant in the Russian city of Tolyatti, which produces materials used in rocket fuel. Tolyatti Mayor Ilya Sukhikh said the overnight attack damaged industrial facilities in the city.
Ukrainian forces also hit an electronics plant in the city of Oryol, Ukraine’s General Staff confirmed Saturday. Local officials in Oryol said Saturday that three people were killed in Friday’s attack. The General Staff said the plant makes components for the cruise and ballistic missiles Russia fires at Ukrainian cities.
Ukrainian drones also reached Russia’s Omsk region in western Siberia, more than 2,000 kilometers (1,242 miles) from the border with Ukraine. Omsk regional Gov. Vitaly Khotsenko said drones “reached a northern industrial hub.”
Online retailer Ozon said Saturday that its logistics center in Omsk has been attacked by a drone, but there were no casualties. Ozon is a competitor to Wildberries, whose facilities Ukraine has also targeted.
Morton reported from London.
Follow the AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy answers media questions before his meeting with Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo in Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday Oct. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
