MADRID — Perhaps the gods will be looking down knowingly at the two coaches—Real Madrid's Julen Lopetegui and Barcelona's Ernesto Valverde—during Sunday's match between the Clasico rivals at the Camp Nou.
In April 2015, Real Madrid tried to hire Valverde as the replacement for Carlo Ancelotti. Valverde was coaching Athletic Bilbao at the time, but his contract was set to expire at the end of the season, so in theory he was available. He was the first man Real Madrid offered the job to, but he turned them down. He'd made a gentleman's agreement with Athletic's president, Josu Urrutia, to stay on with the Basque club, and he'd promised as much to several Athletic players.