Come Saturday, the city of Madrid will be raging with an air of anticipation. It is the Madrid Derby – one of the most fascinating matches in the world football. Madrid derbies are tense, well fought and a treat for fans not just in Spain but across the world.
Every goal is important, every chance is cheered and jeered at the same time depending on which part of Madrid the game is being played. In every sense of the word, this game means a lot for either set of fans as it will hand over the bragging rights to the winning team.
ALSO READ : Three clubs have approached to buy Lionel Messi in January!
The general story of any Madrid Derby is as follows: Real attacking all the game, Atletico defending and counter attacking all game, countless fouls/tackles and a temper that runs high all the game and beyond.
Try as many story lines as you can from previous years to predict the flow of the game, this Madrid Derby is going to be different. A few talking points from the game:
A Noisy Metropolitano
This is the first time that Atletico will play cross town rivals in their new home – The Wanda Metropolitano. It boasts a capacity of almost 68000, which is 15,000 more than their previous stadium – the iconic Vicente Calderón.
Needless to say, Real will be welcomed at the stadium in front of a maddening crowd which has the reputation of being one of the hostile fan-bases in Spain.
Much like Real, Rojiblancos too haven’t been best so far this season. Both the teams are currently sitting on 23 points from their respective 11 games this season (Real being ahead due to a better goal difference), 8 adrift league leaders Barcelona.
Needless to say, it is important for both the teams to win in order to hold any chance to challenge Barcelona for the title.
Notable Absentees
Rojiblancos will be full strength following the return of their key players: Carrasco and Koke, with Filipe Luis still sidelined. Koke and Carrasco, if they can shake of their rust, can add a new dimension to the Atleti attack.
Not having Luis is not going to be favorable for them, much like Marcelo, he contributes a lot in the left wing. However, Lucas Hernandez has been holding the ship steady in his absence and hopefully he comes good on the big night.
For Real Madrid though, the problem is far worse as a host of first team players are out with injuries. Gareth Bale is sure to miss this one after suffering another knock during training a couple of days back.
Keylor Navas is doubtful too as he is recuperating from his abductor injury. Bright spot for Real is that Varane and Carvajal are back in training, however, it is still to be seen if they will make it to the playing XI.
Tactical Battle
Simeone is a magician when it comes to organizing his defense and he knows well that Madrid are a team which is dependent a lot on their wing play.
Expect Atletico to play a 4-4-2 setup with Greizmann and Correa or Fernando Torres upfront and Carrasco (is he plays) utilizing his pace and power to drive forward. They will sit deep, defend for their lives and try to hit Madrid on the counter attack.
Real, on the other hand, will enjoy loads of possession and will continuously look to split open a compact defensive unit. Zidane should choose his defense carefully as Atletico can be dangerous in the counter.
If Real do not repeat the midfield lapses and offensive errors from the previous games against Girona and Spurs, expect them to win this game.
Given Atleti’s drop in form and Real attacking woes will make this match-up interesting as both will look to bounce back and more essentially it will be important to win this one to keep pace with Barcelona.
As mentioned earlier, if Madrid can overcome their woes in midfield, expect Real to win. However, Atletico will have a strong support and I guess it will be a tough outing for Real.
End game prediction: 1-1 draw
