Real Madrid host city rivals Atlético Madrid in a huge La Liga derby this Saturday as they look to stretch their lead over Barcelona.
Zinedine Zidane’s side are sitting pretty at the top of Spain’s top flight, having won three in a row to put themselves three points clear of closest challengers Barcelona. They are unbeaten in 20 games in all competitions, losing once in the league all season.
Alternatively, Atlético are struggling this season, especially on front of goal having scored only 22 goals in 21 league games. They sit fifth in La Liga? but haven’t won either of their last two games, meaning they have dropped out of the top four.
The Madrid derby is a game Spanish football fans look forward to every year and this one could be huge in deciding who wins the league title.
Where to Watch
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| ?When Is Kick Off? | ?Saturday 1 February |
| ?What Time Is Kick Off? | ?15:00 (GMT) |
| ?Where Is it Played? | ?Santiago Bernabéu |
| ?TV Channel/Live Stream? | ?Premier Player HD |
| ?Referee? | ?David Medié Jiménez |
Team News
Zidane will have to contend with a few injury problems for the visit of ?Atlético, having shuffled his pack for Real’s win over Real Zaragoza in the Copa del Rey. Marco Asensio and Eden Hazard are nearing returns from injuries but will not be considered for this clash.
Dani Carvajal will return having served a one game ban, while ?Gareth Bale has recovered from an ankle injury and could be involved. It’ll be interesting to see who Zidane selects in midfield, with Federico Valverde impressing throughout the season.
The big news regarding Atlético is that record signing João Félix? has been ruled out with a muscular injury. He joins fellow striker Diego Costa, who has a neck injury, on the sidelines.
Koke, ?Thomas Lemar, Kieran Trippier and José Giménez are all doubts, though Koke and Trippier should pull through to start on Saturday.
Potential Lineups
| ?Real Madrid | ?Courtois; Carvajal, Varane, Ramos, Mendy; Kroos, Casemiro, Valverde; Modric; Isco, Benzema. |
| Atlético Madrid? | ?Oblak; Trippier, Felipe, Savic, Lodi; Saul, Herrera, Partey, Koke; Correa, Morata. |
Head to Head Record
This historic fixture has been played out 165 times with Los Blancos having the best of it – and by some margin. They’ve won 87 of these clashes to Atlético’s 39, with another 39 being draws.?
More recently, however, draws have been the norm with the last three meetings at the Bernabeu ending even. In fact, ?Real haven’t beaten their city rivals at home in the last three and there was a period between 2013 and 2016 which saw Atlético record three consecutive wins.
This all means that Real haven’t beaten Atlético at home in the league since the 2012/13 season.
The two most recent Madrid derbies ended in two goalless draws, one being the final of the Supercopa de Espana where Real were victorious on penalties.
Recent Form
Zidane’s side’s have been performing excellently in all competitions as of late, securing wins in La Liga, the Copa del Rey and the Supercopa de Espana.
They haven’t lost a game since shockingly losing to Mallorca back in mid-October – a run which has seen Real move top of the table ahead of Barcelona. This form has also seen them progress to the latter stages of the Champions League as they finished second in Group A behind PSG.
Simeone’s side have been off the pace all season and their recent results epitomise these struggles. Atlético haven’t won in their last four games in all competitions, including shock defeats to Eibar in ?La Liga and Cultural Leonesa in the Copa del Rey.
Their last win was against Barcelona in the semi final of the Supercopa before they were beaten on penalties in the final by Real. Their last league win came at the start of January in a 2-1 home triumph over Levante.
Here are both sides’ last five results.
| ?Real Madrid | ?Atlético Madrid |
| ?Real Zaragoza 0-4 Real Madrid (29/1) | ?Atlético Madrid 0-0 Leganes (26/1) |
| Real Valladolid 0-1 ?Real Madrid (26/1) | ?Cultural Leonesa 2-1 Atlético Madrid (23/1) |
| Unionistas 1-3 ?Real Madrid (22/1) | Eibar 2-0 ?Atlético Madrid (18/1) |
| ?Real Madrid 2-1 Sevilla (18/1) | Real Madrid 0-0 Atlético Madrid (4-1 on Pens) (12/1) |
| ?Real Madrid 0-0 Atlético Madrid (4-1 on Pens) (12/1) | ?Barcelona 2-3 Atlético Madrid (9/1) |
Prediction
If recent history was to repeat itself then a draw looks like the most likely result – but Real are bang in form and will be high on confidence.
Atlético are the complete opposite and look shot of any sort of creativity and attacking prowess. Against the best defence in the the league, Simeone’s struggles look set to continue.
Prediction: Real Madrid 2-0 Atlético Madrid
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