The kick off is a few minutes away. It’s a pleasant afternoon in Madrid, with the sun creeping through.
Real won the return fixture 2-0 in December, and they have an outstanding recent record in the derby. Their last league defeat to Atletico was at the Bernabeu in 2015-16. There is a helluva lot pressure on Atletico today, though there’s an upside to that: imagine how much a victory would empower them.
Kieran Trippier, who is available again after his betting ban, goes straight back into the Atletico Madrid side. And Karim Benzema, who has been out for almost a month, starts up front for Real Madrid.
Atletico Madrid (3-4-2-1) Oblak; Savic, Felipe, Hermoso; Trippier, Llorente, Koke, Carrasco; Correa, Lemar; Suarez.
Substitutes: Joao Felix, Saul, Vitolo, Grbic, Vrsaljko, Kondogbia, Torreira, Dembele, Lodi.
Real Madrid (4-3-3) Courtois; Lucas Vazquez, Varane, Nacho, Mendy; Modric, Casemiro, Kroos; Rodrygo, Benzema, Asensio.
Substitutes: Vinicius, Marcelo, Lunin, Odriozola, Hugo Duro, Eder Militao, Isco, Valverde, Diego Suarez.
Referee Alejandro Hernandez.
Hello. There’s no such as a meaningless Madrid derby. But this is more meaningful than most, a match that could have a huge impact on the psychology of the title race. Atletico are top, five points ahead of the champions Real with a game in hand. Between them are Barcelona, who are two points behind Atleti having played two games more.
Atletico are still favourites for the title but they’ve had a tricky recent spell, winning only two of the last five games. This is a mustn’t-lose game for them. It’s closer to a must-win for Real, although they wouldn’t look a gift point in the mouth.
Kick off 3.15pm.
from Football | The Guardian https://ift.tt/3kTpDS3
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