Kylian Mbappe is still “looking for his best form” but he “knows what he has to do,” said Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti in his first El Clasico on Saturday.

He will celebrate his El Clasico on Saturday and with Ancelotti having scored six goals in his last four games against the Catalan club for PSG, Ancelotti believes the striker is well prepared for the fight.

“He has experience, he has played against Barcelona a lot,” Ancelotti said at a press conference on Friday. “He knows what he has to do.

“His way of preparing for a game is to be very calm and straightforward. He firmly believes in his qualities. We are confident he will bring something to the team (on Saturday) and he is.”

Mbappe scored 85 goals in all competitions in his last two seasons before moving to the Bernabeu, but apparently needed time to get used to the Real jersey.

However, Ancelotti is “happy” with the striker’s start in La Liga and believes “he will do better with time”.

“We are satisfied,” said Ancelotti. “(Mbappe) scored goals, he is very important for the team. He strives to be at his best. We're in no hurry, and neither is he. Obviously he will do better, because he has all the qualities to do better.”

Ancelotti is three points behind his Clasico rivals in La Liga and expects a tough test against Flick's side.

Barca's defeat against Osasuna in September is the only blemish on their otherwise perfect home record.

“They are doing very well,” he added. “In a game like the Clasico, like a derby, it's hard to pick a favorite. But luckily no one has made me lose sleep so far.”

The Real coach also expressed his admiration for Barcelona's Lamine Yamal. Since helping Spain to the Euro 2024 title in the summer, the 17-year-old has gone from strength to strength, scoring five goals and seven assists in 13 games so far this season.

While Ancelotti acknowledged the young player's quality, he insisted his team must remain focused on their own game.

“I love the way he plays, his attitude,” said Ancelotti. “He is a very dangerous player.

“You have to keep an eye on the qualities of your opponent, but concentrate more on what you want to achieve.”

Barca coach Flick did not downplay the scale of El Clasico on Saturday.

Flick, who has made a successful start to his tenure in Catalonia, sees the clash between his team and Real as the pinnacle of football rivalries.

“That’s why we give it our all,” he said. “We have to win the Clasico too.” It’s our job. Ever since we started playing football, everyone has wanted to play the Clasico.

“But this is the real Clasico. In Germany we have some games called Clasico. But it's not the same as Barca vs Real Madrid or Real Madrid vs Barca. Everyone is happy. You have to enjoy it. And that too.” Enjoy it, you have to work hard. And that’s what we’re going to do.”

Barca's outstanding goal tally has been the theme of their impressive start to the season.

Lewandowski's 15 goals in 13 games under his former coach have put the Barca striker firmly at the top of the La Liga goalscoring charts, while Raphinha has also impressed, most recently scoring a hat-trick against Bayern in their Champions League tie.

However, Flick still believes his team can get even better.

“We have to improve a little bit,” he said. “It’s the same with every game.” We adapt to the next game. We'll do the same against Real Madrid.

“Also against Bayern Munich and the other La Liga teams we played against before. They also have players who are very fast. Now we play against Real Madrid, a team with world-class players.”

“But at the end of the day I have a lot of confidence in my team because they did really great (against Bayern Munich) after struggling a little bit.”

“I believe in the team. We have a lot of quality without and with the ball. We want to see that. That everyone plays or runs for each other. That's the most important thing. That we are a team that knows what to do. And even when we play together, it is our great strength.”