Atletico Madrid vs Real Madrid

Estadio Metropolitano forms the backdrop for the 233rd Madrid derby between long-term La Liga rivals Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid.

Atletico Madrid thought they had turned the corner after an abysmal 3-0 La Liga defeat at Valencia last weekend before Lazio goalkeeper Ivan Provedel headed home a last-gasp equalizer to hold Diego Simeone’s side to a 1-1 draw in midweek Champions League action. Atletico’s noticeable dip in form after September’s international break came out of the blue, considering they entered the pause on the back of a 7-0 mauling of Rayo Vallecano on the road. However, the impending home return should bolster their hopes of returning to winning ways as ‘Los Rojiblancos’ have emerged victorious in their last ten top-flight outings at the Estadio Metropolitano. Despite Simeone’s long-standing reputation as a ‘park the bus’ manager, his men have been exceptionally prolific at home, netting 3+ goals in six of those ten victories.

Against this backdrop, Atletico’s perennial scoring problems against Real Madrid have seen ‘Los Blancos’ concede under 1.5 goals on their last eight La Liga visits to the Metropolitano, including a 2-1 win in this corresponding fixture in 2022/23. Carlo Ancelotti’s men had to thank their new hero, Jude Bellingham, for kicking things off in the 2023/24 Champions League campaign with a bang. The Englishman netted an injury-time winner to inspire Real Madrid to a 1-0 home victory over Union Berlin, maintaining their impeccable six-game start to 2023/24 across all competitions (W6). But ‘Los Rojiblancos’ have developed an overreliance on Bellingham, having needed his heroics beyond the 80th minute to win three of their last four competitive matches. With the 20-year-old’s availability for this encounter hanging by a thread due to a minor injury problem, the visitors’ bid to extend a four-game winning away league run could be in jeopardy.