The first Madrid derby of the season takes place on Sunday evening as Atletico Madrid host Real Madrid in La Liga.
Both sides are unbeaten in the Spanish first division this season despite being some way off Hansi Flick’s winning Barcelona machine. Atletico are two points behind their city rivals after four wins and three draws in seven outings but will leapfrog them with victory at the Metropolitano.
Atletico have been in impressive form after spending big over the summer period, with four wins from their last five matches. While they may have one eye on a Champions League clash with Benfica midweek, Sunday’s encounter is undoubtedly top priority for Diego Simeone’s side.
Real Madrid have won all five of their most recent matches but have made life a little difficult for themselves on occasion. Their recent 3-2 win over Deportivo Alaves almost saw them surrender a three-goal lead while their opening Champions League win over Stuttgart was far from convincing.
Here is 90min’s guide to a mouth-watering derby day clash in Spain.
Atletico Madrid vs Real Madrid H2H Record (Last Five Games)
Current form (all competitions)
|
Atletico Madrid |
Real Madrid |
|---|---|
|
Celta Vigo 0-1 Atletico Madrid – 26/09/24 |
Real Madrid 3-2 Alaves – 24/09/24 |
|
Rayo Vallecano 1-1 Atletico Madrid – 22/09/24 |
Real Madrid 4-1 Espanyol – 21/09/24 |
|
Atletico Madrid 2-1 RB Leipzig – 19/09/24 |
Real Madrid 3-1 Stuttgart – 17/09/24 |
|
Atletico Madrid 3-0 Valencia – 15/09/24 |
Real Sociedad 0-2 Real Madrid – 14/09/24 |
|
Athletic Club 0-1 Atletico Madrid – 31/08/24 |
Real Madrid 2-0 Real Betis – 01/09/24 |
|
Country |
TV channel/live stream |
|---|---|
|
United Kingdom |
ITV 4, ITVX, Premier Sports 1, Premier Sports Player, LaLigaTV |
|
United States |
fuboTV, ESPN+, ESPN Deportes, ESPN App |
|
Canada |
TSN+ |
Atletico have three absentees for the visit of their neighbours, with Cesar Azpilicueta, Pablo Barrios and Thomas Lemar all missing out. Otherwise, manager Simeone has a wealth of options to choose from, especially in the attacking third.
Julian Alvarez, who scored a late winner against Celta Vigo last time out, will partner Antoine Griezmann up top for his 42nd match against Real Madrid. Alexander Sorloth will be on the bench, meaning he won’t be given the chance to repeat his four-goal display from last season against Los Blancos.
Atletico Madrid predicted lineup vs Real Madrid (3-5-2): Oblak; Le Normand, Gimenez, Reinildo; Llorente, De Paul Koke, Gallagher, Lino; Griezmann, Alvarez.
Kylian Mbappe misses the chance to feature in his first Madrid derby after suffering a leg injury in the 3-2 win over Alaves. The Frenchman is expected to be sidelined for several weeks and could be replaced by young Brazilian Endrick.
Elsewhere, David Alaba, Dani Ceballos and Brahim Diaz are all still missing but Eduardo Camavinga and Dani Carvajal have returned to the squad. The latter could well start but Camavinga is only likely to make the bench if he does feature.
Real Madrid predicted lineup vs Atletico Madrid (4-3-1-2): Courtois; Carvajal, Militao, Rudiger, Mendy; Valverde, Tchouameni, Modric; Bellingham; Rodrygo, Vinicius Jr.
The Madrid derby is always difficult to call, especially when both sides are without defeat this season. They tend to be cagey low-scoring affairs – with the odd corker thrown in for good measure – and two of the last five meetings have finished 1-1.
Mbappe is a major miss for Real Madrid and it may force Carlo Ancelotti to use the 4-3-1-2 system that was honed last season. Los Blancos have struggled a little on the road this term and Atletico’s stubborn defence could frustrate them.
