Real Madrid will look to keep their dominant run intact when they square up against their city rivals Atletico Madrid.
For the fourth time in the 2023/24 season, Real Madrid are all set to square up against Atletico Madrid. Their first meeting was back in September last year when Diego Simeone’s men thrashed Los Blancos 3-1, their only league defeat of this season.
Since the turn of the calendar, the two teams have met in the Spanish Super Cup semi-final and the Copa del Rey Round of 16. Carlo Ancelotti’s men came out on top in the semi-final. but they failed to go past Atletico in the Copa del Rey.
All season long, Real Madrid have only lost two matches, and both those defeats have come against their city rivals. It seems they have a score to settle when they host Simeone’s team in their backyard.
This time around, the stakes are quite high as we have entered the business end of the season, Real Madrid are top of the league table just two points ahead of second-placed Girona, and they cannot afford to drop any points.
As far as Atletico Madrid are concerned, they are third but are ten points behind the league leaders, and only a dream run can get them back in the title race. Having said that, they do need to keep fighting to maintain their spot in the top four. It promises to be an edge-of-the-seat thriller between two quality teams. Meanwhile, The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at both teams and tries to predict the tactics they could deploy.
Team News & Tactics
Real Madrid
The fitness of Antonio Rudiger is a major concern for the home team. The German international was subbed off in their previous outing because of a thigh problem and he will have to prove his fitness to feature in this fixture.
Los Blancos will be without the services of Eder Militao, David Alaba, and Thibaut Courtois, who are out with long-term injuries. Aurelien Tchouameni could have featured in the heart of the defence, but he is suspended thanks to the yellow card he picked up in their last outing.
Either of their full-backs will feature in the heart of the defence if Rudiger is not back in time but he is expected to be. Ancelotti will stick to the 4-4-2 formation, where Andriy Lunin will feature in goal. Dani Carvajal and Ferland Mendy should be the full-back duo. In the heart of the defence, Rudiger will have the support of Nacho Fernandez.
Eduardo Camavinga will feature as the holding midfielder, and he will have the support of Federico Valverde and Toni Kroos. The trio will look to dictate the pace and control the possession of the ball. Jude Bellingham will be the attacking midfielder just behind the attacking duo of Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo Goes.
Probable Lineup (4-4-2): Lunin; Carvajal, Rudiger, Nacho, Mendy; Valverde, Camavinga, Kroos; Bellingham; Rodrygo, Vinicius
Atletico Madrid
The visitors will be without the services of Jose Maria Gimenez, Cesar Azpilicueta, and Thomas Lemar for this fixture. Meanwhile, Alvaro Morata’s availability will be subject to a late fitness test.
Simeone is expected to make wholesale changes to XI that featured in their previous outing. He will stick to the 3-5-2 formation, and Jan Oblak will be the one who will start in goal.
The three centre-backs will be Alex Witsel, Mario Hermoso and Reinildo Mandava. They will look to keep it tight at the back and will have the support of Nahuel Molina and Samuel Lino, who feature as the wing-backs.
While they will look to join the attack, their focus will be on keeping Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo Goes in check if they decide to drift wide and run in behind.
Rodrigo De Paul, Koke and Saul Niguez will be the three in charge of the centre of the park. They will look to ensure Real Madrid midfielders do not end up dictating the pace of this fixture. Finally, Morata will be an automatic pick if he is fit. If not, Memphis Depay will get the nod alongside French international Antoine Griezmann.
Probable Lineup (3-5-2): Oblak; Witsel, Hermoso, Reinildo; Molina, De Paul, Koke, Saul, Lino; Griezmann, Morata
Key Stats
- Real Madrid have the best defence in the league, having conceded 14 goals in their 22 matches.
- Los Blancos have only suffered two defeats this season and both have come against Atletico Madrid.
- Diego Simeone’s team have the fourth-best defence in the Spanish top flight this season.
- The team in white have been unbeaten in their last 16 league games.
- The visitors have won four out of their last five games in the league.
Player to Watch
Jude Bellingham
The England international has been on fire since joining Real Madrid in the summer of 2023. He has been scoring goals for fun and has stepped up for them on big occasions. He has featured in 19 league games so far and has managed to find the back of the net on 14 occasions and also has three assists to his name.
This fixture against Atletico Madrid is very important for them in terms of the title race, and Carlo Ancelotti will expect that the 20-year-old sensation once again stands tall and delivers for his team.
Prediction
Real Madrid 4-2 Atletico Madrid
18 goals have been scored in the three outings between the two teams in the 2023/24 season. An average of six goals a game makes it quite clear that there could be another high-scoring thriller.
Atletico Madrid have the upper hand having already won two out of the three Madrid derby’s so far. However, given the kind of form Real Madrid are in and the fact that there is a lot at stake, expect Carlo Ancelotti to throw everything he has at Diego Simeone’s team in search of all three points. The Hard Tackle predicts a 4-2 win for the home team.
