The Madrid Derby is set to bring together the two top teams in La Liga. Both Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid perform well but display occasional inconsistencies. For the moment, Real tops the league, but Atletico sits behind with just one point fewer than their archrivals.
This game might also decide the tiebreaker in case both teams are leveled at the end of the campaign. Currently, that’s not that important, but knowing La Liga title races, it could be of massive value.
Real Madrid VS Atletico Madrid Preview
Real Madrid recently suffered a 1-0 defeat against Espanyol in an away fixture. They quickly recovered, eating Leganes in the Spanish Cup this Wednesday night, 2-3, with a huge stoppage-time game-winner. Los Blancos played with a mixed lineup and got a 0-2 lead before losing it. However, in the end, everything turned out to be great for the Spanish titans.
Under the leadership of Carlo Ancelotti, Real Madrid has been in excellent form, winning eight of the last ten matches. Its only defeats during that stretch were against the teams from Barcelona, Espanyol, and FC Barca.
During the mentioned 10-game stretch, nine contests have produced over 2.5 goals, and in all but one, Real Madrid has managed to score at least twice. Carlo Ancelotti’s boys are even more confident at home, with Los Blancos scoring three or more goals in six of the latest nine appearances at Santiago Bernabeu.
🚨 BREAKING – AtlĂ©tico Madrid with a response to Real Madrid’s statement and controversies over recent days:
“Friends at @RAEInforma (the main institution responsible for regulating the Spanish language, ensuring its proper use, and maintaining its official dictionary), these… pic.twitter.com/nW8HGiM8ak
— Atletico Universe (@atletiuniverse) February 5, 2025
Atletico Madrid has also won eight of its previous ten matches across all fronts. In addition to these triumphs, it has recorded one draw and one defeat. Diego Simeone’s squad is on a four-game unbeaten streak, with three wins in that span.
Their form away from home has been exceptional, with victories in nine of their last eleven away fixtures. Impressively, they have kept a clean sheet in six of those games. This is the Atletico we all know, with impregnable defense and a very rational and effective attack.
Atletico Madrid boasts the best defensive record in La Liga, conceding only 14 goals thus far. Simeone has once again constructed a well-drilled, cohesive team, making them strong contenders for the league title.
Real Madrid VS Atletico Madrid Head-to-Head Record
The first Madrid Derby of the season ended in a 1-1 draw. Real Madrid’s Eder Militao opened the scoring before Atletico’s Angel Correa equalized in the dying moments of injury time.
Interestingly, each of the last eight encounters between these two rivals has seen both teams find the net, and several of them included red cards, which could be a good thing to bet here. Though, we’ll talk more about that in the end.
Real Madrid VS Atletico Madrid Prediction
This match has the potential to be a decisive moment in the season, with significant implications for the final league standings. Although Real Madrid enjoys a home advantage, that doesn’t have to mean anything here because Atletico knows how to deal with the pressure from the stands. Real is very tough and aggressive at Bernabeu, yet we don’t think they will be reckless when attacking.
Simeone is renowned for his conservative strategies in high-stakes matches, and this game will likely be no exception. He likes to kill the tempo and interrupt the flow of the game.
Given both teams’ tactical approaches, the most probable outcome is a moderate number of goals—between two and three.
Additionally, we’ve already mentioned red cards. Considering the fierce rivalry and intense atmosphere of the Madrid Derby, a red card is a plausible possibility, as emotions tend to run high when these two giants clash.
Pick: 2 or 3 goals
