One of the biggest matches in Spain takes place this weekend as Real Madrid travel across the city to take on their neighbours Atletico. Both sides have enjoyed decent starts to this very open La Liga season, but who will take advantage and seize control for the domestic league?
Match Preview
Atletico have undergone a massive transformation over the summer with the departures of Antoine Griezmann and Diego Godin. However, they have brought in a wealth of talent, and they currently sit second in the La Liga table. They have only lost once in six, but scoring goals seems to be their trouble at this moment. Defensively, they have looked solid as they have only conceded four. These troubles were highlighted in last weekend’s clash against Celta Vigo as they drew 0-0 at home. They had the majority of the play but failed to break down the compact defence that Celta played with. They didn’t have many concerns in mid-week however, as they ran away with a 2-0 win at RCD Mallorca. Diego Costa and Joao Felix scored the goals in the win. But, a late red card to Alvaro Morata means that Atletico will be without the striker for the Madrid derby.
Real Madrid meanwhile have been lamented as a club in crisis. But, despite this, they remain unbeaten in the league and a currently top by two points above their Madrid rivals. The defensive issues that they have are widely accepted, but if they continue scoring goals at the rate they are at the moment, then they will be in the tight race for the season. Their troubles may have been exaggerated a little as they lost 3-0 away at PSG in the Champions League, but they have won their last three in the league. They beat Sevilla 1-0 away from home last weekend, and in doing so, they didn’t allow Sevilla a single shot on goal. This was backed up with a commanding 2-0 win at the Bernabeu on Wednesday against Osasuna. The two goals were scored by Brazilians as Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo both found the net. However, the derby will be a big step up in opposition, and it will be interesting to see how they can deal with that.
Head to Head
The two sides have met on 53 occasions, with Real Madrid holding the advantage with 26 wins. There have been eleven Atletico wins and 16 draws. The matches average 2.83 goals per game, and the last two fixtures have ended in draws.
Atletico Madrid Team News
The hosts will be without Morata who will be serving his suspension. Meanwhile, Thomas Lemar, Sime Vrsaljko and Borja Garces will also be missing.
Real Madrid Team News
Ferland Mendy, Marcelo, Luka Modric, Isco and Marco Asensio will all be missing for Zinedine Zidane’s side.
Tip
As the BetXChange odds suggest, this should be a close matchup between these two rivals. Atletico are the narrow 1.42 favourites with BetXChange. The poor defensive performances that Real have put in over recent weeks means that the preference would be for the hosts. But, the attacking threat that Real has should be remembered. It could be a high scoring affair.
Tip: Over 2.5 goals at 0.95 with BetXChange.
