Real Madrid will host Atletico Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu in the latest instalment of the Madrid Derby on Saturday.
The Santiago Bernabeu will play host to the high-voltage rivalry between Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid. Los Blancos will look to keep themselves alive in the La Liga title race, while the visitors will look to strengthen their case for a top-four finish.
Carlo Ancelotti’s men are currently second in the league, with 51 points out of their 22 matches. The team in white will look to win their 17th match when they welcome their neighbours. They are the top-scoring team in the league with 46 goals scored.
In their last five matches, the home team have won three, drawn one and lost one. Los Blancos have won their last two matches and will look to make it three in a row in the league.
Real Madrid are heading into this encounter on the back of a thrilling 5-2 win against Liverpool in the UEFA Champions League. They were 2-0 down within the first 20 minutes but managed to bounce back and put five past the Premier League team. Ancelotti’s team will look to carry on the good work against their rivals from the city.
On the other hand, the visitors Atletico Madrid will be eager to get one better against their rivals. Diego Simeone’s men are currently fourth in the league with 41 points out of their 22 matches. They are four points clear of the team in 5th and will try to extend the gap.
In their last five outings, the visitors have won four and drawn one match. They have a better track record than Real Madrid in their last five league games and will look to continue their good work. Simeone will be eager to keep the unbeaten run going.
Atletico Madrid are heading into the encounter on the back of a 1-0 win over Athletic Club in the league. Diego Simeone’s future at the club depends on a top-four finish, and they will give it their all to help their manager keep his place.
Real Madrid, who have not lost a game at home in the league, recorded a 2-1 win over rivals Atletico Madrid in the reverse fixture at Wanda Metropolitano. It going to be a neck-to-neck battle between two equally matched teams. And, The Hard Tackle analyses their team and the tactics they could deploy.
Team News and Tactics
Real Madrid
📋✅ Our squad for the match 🆚 @atletienglish!#RealMadridAtleti pic.twitter.com/p5RHU4gGKP
— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) February 24, 2023
Carlo Ancelotti will be without the services of Ferland Mendy due to injury. Meanwhile, the home team have a boost as Aurelien Tchouameni and Toni Kroos are back in the squad after missing the game against Liverpool. Rodrgyo Goes will miss the Madrid derby.
Los Blancos will start with the 4-3-3 formation, with Thibaut Courtois in goal. Dani Carvajal and Eduardo Camavinga will be the full-backs, while Eder Militao will pair up with Antonio Rudiger in the heart of the defence.
Tchouameni, Kroos and Luka Modric are expected to be the midfield three, with Dani Ceballos playing a part off the bench. Federico Valverde will start on the right wing in the absence of Rodrygo Goes. The dangerous Vinicius Junior will start on the left, while marksman Karim Benzema will lead the line.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Courtois; Carvajal, Militao, Rudiger, Camavinga; Modric, Tchouameni, Kroos; Valverde, Benzema, Vinicius Jr.
Atletico Madrid
Diego Simeone will be without the services of Rodrigo De Paul and Thomas Lemar who are out injured. Meanwhile, they have a boost as Stefan Savic returns from suspension. Savic is expected to return to the playing XI in place of Jose Gimenez while Pablo Barrios will take the place of De Paul in the centre of the park.
Big game loading ⏳ pic.twitter.com/uutYHzfgZI
— Atlético de Madrid (@atletienglish) February 24, 2023
Simeone is expected to go ahead with the 4-4-2 formation, with Jan Oblak in goal. Reinildo Mandava and Nahuel Molina will be the full-backs. Savic will pair up with Mario Hermoso in the centre of defence.
Koke, Pablo Barrios, Marcos Llorente and Yannick Carrasco will make the midfield four, where Carrasco and Llorente will play out wide. Alvaro Morata is likely to pair up with Antoine Griezmann as the two-front man in the Madrid Derby.
Probable Lineup (4-4-2): Oblak; Molina, Savic, Hermoso, Reinildo; Llorente, Barrios, Koke, Carrasco; Griezmann, Morata
Key Stats
- Real Madrid have squared up against Atletico Madrid on 231 occasions since their first meeting in 1906. Los Blancos lead by 115 to 57.
- Real Madrid have lost only out of their last 11 meetings against Atletico Madrid.
- Los Blancos are the highest-scoring team in La Liga, having scored 46 goals in the season.
- Real Madrid are unbeaten at home in the ongoing season.
- Carlo Ancelotti’s men have kept four clean sheets in their last five home matches against Diego Simeone’s men.
Player to Watch
Vinicius Junior
The Brazilian superstar was on fire against Liverpool in Real Madrid’s last outing. He was one of the main reasons the visitors could come back from two goals down and thrash the Merseyside club in their own backyard.
Vinicius found the back of the net twice at Anfield. He is expected to be a deciding force in the Madrid derby. But it won’t be that easy because Simeone will have his men ready for the Brazil international. However, he is likely to have a big say in this game.
Prediction
Real Madrid 2-1 Atletico Madrid
The Madrid derby is never an easy one to predict, with two teams ready to give it their all on the pitch. It is going to be an edge-of-the-seat thriller where Simeone will keep a low block and try to hit Los Blancos on the counter.
Meanwhile, Real Madrid will look to have the majority of the ball and push it out wide to stretch Diego Simeone’s defence and supply Karim Benezma to produce the final goods. The Hard Tackle predicts a hard-fought 2-1 win for Carlo Ancelotti’s men at home.