Madrid Derby: Atletico hosts Real with the title race already cooking
by KickOff Reporter · KickOffWho will win the latest battle in the Spanish capital?
Atletico Madrid welcome Real Madrid to the Metropolitano Stadium on 20 September, in what could be the biggest test of both teams’ ambitions.
With Barcelona in a slender lead, Atleti and Los Blancos will both be chasing full points on Sunday, even if it’s too early to really discuss the title race.
How the La Liga season has gone on both sides
Real Madrid head into the derby in second place with 5 wins from 6 games.
The lone L for Los Blancos came against Real Betis on 4 September, giving Barcelona a sliver of daylight at the top.
Atletico Madrid, meanwhile, are third on 13 points, with 4 wins, 1 draw, and 1 loss from their season so far.
The loss came during their visit to Athletic Bilbao on the same weekend that Real Madrid dropped their first points.
It is close enough at the top that a win could genuinely influence the first few months of Jose Mourinho’s second spell at the helm, or the bearing of Diego Simeone’s latest campaign.
Things have not gone the way many would have predicted for The Special One.
Since returning to the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, Mourinho’s charges have been exposed defensively, leading to questions about formations.
However, Real Madrid are currently on three-game winning streak, including a 2-1 win over Inter Milan in their UEFA Champions League meeting.
Comparatively, Atletico have less momentum heading into the decisive clash.
Simeone’s side were defeated 2-1 by Liverpool during their UCL tie at Anfield, but followed this with two successive wins in La Liga.
Atleti have been solid defensively, with a comparable goal difference to Real Madrid and a few clean sheets hinting that they could be finding a rhythm.
Head-to-head comparison
Results from their last two encounters are split: Atletico recorded a comprehensive 5-2 win at home first, before Real responded with a 3-2 win at the Bernabeu.
In all-time results, Los Blancos have 119 wins compared to 61 by Atleti, but the Metropolitano has developed something of a reputation as a bogey venue for their capital city rivals.
Key players for the Madrid Derby
The standout player for Atletico Madrid in their 4-0 demolition of Osasuna was Lee Kang-in, who scored a goal from the wing.
Alex Baena and Johnny Cardoso were also impressive in that rout.
On Real Madrid’s side, Kylian Mbappe has continued his superstar performance in the 3-2 win over Elche last time out.
Yan Diamonde was also highly rated in what ended up being a closer win than the visitors would have wanted.
Madrid derby: Our match prediction
Betting markets have Real Madrid as the favourites, but statistical models suggest the game with Atletico Madrid will be a close finish.
A low-scoring draw seems to be a common projection, with both teams carrying some degree of momentum into a fixture that is hard to forecast.
However, the class of Mbappe could be the deciding factor for a one-goal Real Madrid win against their city rivals.