Madrid Derby Set for Thrilling Clash as Real Madrid Seek to Extend Perfect Start
Madrid – Atletico Madrid prepares for a challenging La Liga match against league-leading Real Madrid, a team currently undefeated and boasting a wealth of talent. The derby is scheduled for this weekend, with Real Madrid aiming for a seventh consecutive league win, a feat last achieved by Vanderlei Luxemburgo in 2005.
Atletico manager Diego Simeone, who this week became the longest-serving coach of a La Liga club after arriving in December 2011, acknowledged the difficulty of the upcoming fixture, stating, “We will have a really hard, difficult game against a side that has been winning all their games, and who have a tonne of very good players in their squad.” While Simeone has guided Atletico to two Champions League finals (2014, 2016 – both lost to Real Madrid) and two La Liga titles, the team has experienced a decline in form since their 2021 La Liga victory. Simeone admitted in August, “The team needs to evolve to the height the club has.”
Real Madrid’s strong form is largely attributed to Kylian Mbappe, currently the league’s top scorer with seven goals. Atletico,conversely,has struggled with finishing until recently,with Julian Alvarez’s first career hat-trick against Rayo Vallecano bringing his league goal tally to four. Simeone emphasized Alvarez’s importance, saying, “Julian is the best player that we have.We need to look after him, so he stays many years here at Atletico…Each time he scores, he makes the difference, he helps us so much.”
Team News:
Atletico Madrid: Alex Baena has returned from injury and is available, while Alexander Sorloth is back from suspension. Jose Gimenez, Johnny Cardoso, and Thiago Almada remain sidelined with injuries.
Predicted Atletico Madrid Starting Lineup: Oblak; Lorent, The Norman, Length, Hancko; Simeone, Coke, Barrios, French; Alvarez, Sorloth.
Real Madrid: Jude Bellingham and Eduardo Camavinga are fit to start after recent injury returns. Trent Alexander-Arnold, Ferland Mendy, and Antonio Rudiger are still out due to injury.
Predicted Real Madrid Starting Lineup: Courtois; carvajal, Militao, Huijsen, Carreras; Valverde, Tchouameni; Mastantuono, Guler, vinicius; Mbappe.
elsewhere in La Liga,reigning champions Barcelona,currently two points behind Real Madrid,host Real Sociedad on Sunday at the Olympic Stadium.
