All eyes will be on the Spanish capital this Saturday as LaLiga leaders Atletico Madrid take on city rivals Real Madrid in a crunch Madrid derby clash.
Diego Simeone’s men hold a six points lead over Los Blancos going into the encounter and also have a game in hand, putting them in an incredibly strong position early in the standings.
Real Madrid survived a disastrous Champions League exit and looked well equipped to end Atletico Madrid unbeaten run.
Karim Benzema scored twice against Borussia Moenchengladbach on Wednesday to end any fears that Real would fail to progress to the group stage after they had started the match with their hopes in the balance.
With Sergio Ramos back to lead the defence and Benzema clinical in front of goal, Real eventually went through as group winners with a comfortable 2-0 victory meaning they will avoid many of the big guns in the last 16 draw.
Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane, whose job has been the subject of speculation after a turbulent start to the season, seems safe for now.
Atletico, who lead LaLiga by a single point from the season’s surprise package, Real Sociedad, also booked their ticket to the Champions League knockout stage with a 2-0 win against RB Salzburg in Austria.
Simeone’s side go into the last-16 draw as Group A runners-up behind reigning champions Bayern Munich.
While the city derby will be without the fans, such a game normally attracts to the Bernabeu will dominate headlines on Saturday.
Real Madrid midfielder Fede Valverde is hopeful of returning to action for Saturday’s crunch clash.
The Uruguayan sustained a fissure in the posterior tibial spine of his right leg in the 4-1 defeat at Valencia before the international break and has missed the last six fixtures for Los Blancos.
Read also: LaLiga: Tough tasks for Barcelona, Real Madrid in derby-packed weekend
No fresh injury worries for Real in their recent matches with captain Sergio Ramos and right-back Dani Carvajal among the players back in the fold.
Eden Hazard and Martin Odegaard remain unavailable, but have resumed light training with the club as they continue their recoveries from injury.
Atletico’s last league defeat came in the Madrid derby on February 1, when Madrid edged out their neighbours 1-0 thanks to a Karim Benzema goal, but Atletico’s form have improved significantly and could get a fevourble result on the night.
Key players to watch
Sergio Ramos – After recent time on the sidelines with a hamstring injury, Real captain Sergio Ramos should be back in the line-up for this clash against Atletico. Not only is Ramos a master of the ‘dark arts’ of defending, he is also a regular goal scorer at the other end and a true talisman for Los Blancos.
Joao Felix – The young Portuguese attacker has started to live up to the massive hype attached to him when he signed for Atletico at the start of last season. Quick, skillful, creative and above all brilliantly instinctual in the final third, the 21-year-old could prove the difference between two closely matched teams in this derby.
Head-to-head stats
In head-to-head stats, Real and Atletico have met in 225 matches across all competitions since their first meeting back in 1906. Los Blancos have claimed 111 wins compared to 56 for the Rojiblancos, while 58 games have been drawn.
Real took four points off Atletico in the teams’ two league meetings last season: a 0-0 draw at Estadio Wanda Metropolitano in September 2019 was followed by a 1-0 home win for Los Blancos in the return game in February 2020, with Karim Benzema finding the back of the net.
10 – Number of games Atletico have gone unbeaten since the start of the season
10 – Number of LaLiga titles Atletico have won, compared to 34 for Real Madrid and 26 for Barcelona.
