Diego Simeone’s side succumbed to a surprise defeat immediately prior to the international break, going down 2-0 against Real Sociedad. It was the fifth time in 11 league matches this term that Atletico have dropped points, with the result seeing them drop down to fifth place as the second third of the campaign approaches. The gap now separating them from the summit of the standings – a position which is currently occupied by Real Madrid – stands at six points, which means the Colchoneros cannot really afford to lose Saturday night’s derby in front of their own supporters.
Things are looking brighter for Zinedine Zidane’s men, who remain top of the table in the Spanish top flight after a comfortable 3-0 victory over Leganes – one of the teams to have prevented Atletico from winning this season, with the pair drawing 0-0 in August – last time out. A brace from Gareth Bale and single strike from Alvaro Morata made the difference at the Santiago Bernabeu as Madrid extended their unbeaten run to 23 La Liga matches, a stretch which dates back to February. Atletico were the last side to inflict defeat upon them domestically, though, which means Madrid will have to be wary despite their local rivals’ inconsistency so far this year.
Atletico will again be without Augusto Fernandez, who will be sidelined until next spring after injuring his cruciate knee ligament earlier this season; Nico Gaitan has returned to full training, though, and may be included in the matchday squad. Simeone will stick with his favoured 4-4-2 formation, with Antoine Griezmann and Kevin Gameiro set to continue alongside one another up front, with Gabi and Koke in central midfield and two of Angel Correa, Saul Niguez and Yannick Ferreira Carrasco providing support on the flanks. Atletico have been excellent going forward in many of their fixtures up to now, but Simeone may be tempted to go back to basics for the visit of Madrid.
Los Blancos will have to make do without the services of Pepe (hamstring), Toni Kroos (knee) and Casemiro (broken leg), but Karim Benzema and Mateo Kovacic have recovered from hamstring and ankle injuries respectively and look set to return to the fold. Madrid will line up in their customary 4-3-3 configuration, with Cristiano Ronaldo and Bale their most potent attacking options on either side of the lone striker and Luka Modric the key man in the centre of midfield. At the back, Nacho will play alongside Raphael Varane if Sergio Ramos does not recover from a knee problem in time to start.
This should be an absorbing game between two title contenders, particularly as Atletico cannot afford to lose and fall nine points behind Madrid. With that in mind, it could be worth backing a narrow home victory – 1-0 looks to be a good option – at the Vicente Calderon on Saturday evening.
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