The biggest fixture in the European calendar this weekend takes place in the Spanish capital as Real and Atletico Madrid do battle in a pivotal clash in the context of the La Liga title race.
Diego Simeone’s ever-evolving Atleti took command of the division before they were stunned at Leganes last month, but they recovered swiftly and rediscovered their imperious groove ahead of the derby.
The visitors boast La Liga’s meanest defence but are also mightily exciting going forward. They’ve scored 11 times in their most recent three outings and are hunting their first win at the Bernabeu since 2016. Victory for Atleti would see them leapfrog their Madrid rivals at the summit and blow the race wide open.
Real’s advantage at the top is a mere point after they were beaten by Espanyol last weekend. Far more questions surround Carlo Ancelotti’s side than Simeone’s heading into the derby, and the league leaders were hardly convincing in midweek as they edged past Leganes in the Copa del Rey quarter-finals. Atletico put Getafe to the sword the night before to also advance into the semi-finals.
While Saturday’s bout won’t decide the La Liga title, it will have a huge bearing on the dynamic at the division’s summit.
Madrid have availability issues in defence and Ancelotti may have to wheel out a back four he never would’ve considered using for a fixture of this magnitude. With Antonio Rudiger, David Alaba, and Eder Militao all out, Aurelien Tchouameni is likely to partner Raul Asencio at centre-back.
Lucas Vazquez will continue to fill in for Dani Carvajal down the right, while Ancelotti will choose between Ferland Mendy and Fran Garcia on the opposite flank.
The Italian could opt for extra beef in the middle of the park in a bid to supply balance against an Atleti team that counter-attacks superbly. Jude Bellingham may have to perform a more restricted role and operate closer to the midfield.
Real Madrid predicted lineup vs Atletico (4-3-3): Courtois; Vazquez, Tchouameni, Asencio, Garcia; Valverde, Camavinga, Bellingham; Rodrygo, Mbappe, Vinicius.
The visitors are in much better shape on the injury front, although summer arrival Robin Le Normand is suspended for the derby. Clement Lenglet featured heavily while Le Normand was out with a significant head injury, and the Frenchman is expected to deputise this weekend.
Atletico predicted lineup vs Real Madrid (4-4-2): Oblak; Llorente, Gimenez, Lenglet, Galan; Simeone, De Paul, Barrios, Gallagher; Alvarez, Griezmann.
