Real Madrid will make the short journey across the Spanish capital for Saturday’s meeting with arch-rivals Atlético Madrid, as both teams hope to secure bragging rights after making contrasting starts to their respective campaigns.
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Having already been under significant pressure heading into the new season following his refusal to abandon his defensive tactics and overly cautious approach, Diego Simeone is now the subject of further scrutiny.
Atléti managed to amass just six points from their opening five La Liga fixtures, a measly return for a club expecting to challenge for the title. A 2-1 loss to Espanyol in Catalonia was followed up by stalemates in clashes with Elche and Deportivo Alavés, before they overcame Villarreal at the Metropolitano to secure a much-needed first victory. After leaving Anfield without a share of the spoils despite mounting an impressive comeback, Los Colchoneros registered a third 1-1 draw of the new campaign against Balearic outfit Real Mallorca on Sunday.
Conversely, Real Madrid have started extremely strongly. Xabi Alonso’s men have won each of their first six matches across all competitions, conceding just three goals in the process. After edging past Osasuna on the opening weekend, Los Blancos recorded a 3-0 victory over newly promoted Real Oviedo before dispatching Mallorca at the Santiago Bernabéu. Further league wins came against Real Sociedad and Espanyol after the international break, while the in-form Kylian Mbappé fired two penalties beyond Marseille ‘keeper Gerónimo Rulli to hand his team all three points on this season’s first night of Champions League action.
Saturday’s Madrid derby will be played at a packed Metropolitano Stadium, with kick-off scheduled for 3.15pm (BST). Several North American broadcasters – including the likes of ESPN+ and DirecTV are providing live coverage of the match, but UK viewers won’t be able to access this content without using a VPN.
Atlético Madrid vs. Real Madrid: Key information
Date: Saturday, 27th September
Kick-off time: 3.15pm (BST)
Venue: Riyadh Air Metropolitano Stadium
Referee:
VAR:
TV Channels/Live stream: ESPN+, ESPN Deportes, Fubo, DirecTV
Odds: Atlético Madrid: 15/8, Draw: 13/5, Real Madrid: 11/8
Atlético Madrid vs. Real Madrid team news
Diego Simeone and Xabi Alonso have a considerable list of medium-term injuries to contend with, although both managers will be buoyed by the return of several first-team stars. It’ll be interesting to see whether Atléti drift from their usual defensive-oriented shape given that the onus will be on the hosts to attack, while Real Madrid will undoubtedly break forward at every available opportunity.
Atlético Madrid team news
Uruguayan international José María Giménez continues to struggle with a serious hamstring problem, although he has now commenced light training as he continues his rehabilitation. That means Robin Le Normand and Clément Lenglet are likely to once again form a central defensive partnership, with Dávid Hancko – who arrived from Dutch outfit Feyenoord in the summer – assuming the left-back position.
Playmaking duo Álex Baena and Thiago Almada are also sidelined, having both sustained muscle injuries in recent weeks. However, Baena’s continued absence is due to a bout of acute appendicitis, which resulted in him receiving surgery during the international break.
After making a decisive impact during Sunday’s 1-1 draw in Mallorca, Conor Gallagher will be hoping to register his first league start since being withdrawn at the interval in last month’s opener against Espanyol. The Englishman broke the deadlock after coming off the bench at Son Moix, but may have to settle for a place amongst the substitutes once again. Simeone is likely to instead utilise the immense experience of club captain Koke, who has remarkably faced Real Madrid on 42 previous occasions.
Alexander Sørloth is available for selection after serving a one-match suspension, but is unlikely to be involved from the start following his regretful cameo against Mallorca. The Norwegian was dismissed for a rash challenge on Antonio Raíllo just ten minutes after being introduced as a second-half substitute, as VAR intervened to upgrade an initial booking to a straight red card.
Fellow striker Julián Alvarez missed the 3-2 defeat at Anfield due to a minor knee injury, but returned to action last Sunday afternoon. The Argentinian ace saw his first-half spot-kick saved by Mallorca stopper Leo Román, before being withdrawn just after the hour mark. Although he’s yet to find the net following his summer move from reigning Serie A champions Napoli, Giacomo Raspadori is set to lead the line alongside Alvarez at the expense of Atléti legend Antoine Griezmann.
Atlético Madrid predicted line-up vs. Real Madrid (4-4-2)
Coach: Diego Simeone
Jan Oblak (GK), Marcos Llorente, Robin Le Normand, Clément Lenglet, Dávid Hancko, Giuliano Simeone, Pablo Barrios,
Koke, Nicolás González, Julián Alvarez, Giacomo Raspadori
Real Madrid team news
Real Madrid are plagued by a handful of defensive absentees, with three of their first-choice back four currently requiring treatment.
Former Liverpool full-back Trent Alexander-Arnold incurred a hamstring strain during the very early stages of Los Blancos’ narrow triumph over Marseille, rendering him unavailable for the next six to eight weeks. Antonio Rüdiger is nursing a similar issue, but it’s believed the German international may be out until December. There’s also no sign of an immediate return for 30-year-old left-back Ferland Mendy, who is yet to feature this season after developing a thigh issue in mid-August.
However, there’s good news for one of Mendy’s French compatriots, as Eduardo Camavinga is steadily moving towards full fitness. The versatile midfielder was brought on in the closing moments of Saturday’s defeat of Espanyol, after shaking off a niggling ankle injury he picked up in pre-season. Jude Bellingham also entered the fray late on, having undergone surgery on his shoulder during the summer.
Federico Valverde and Dani Ceballos battle it out to partner Aurélien Tchouaméni in midfield, while talented Turkish youngster Arda Güler is expected to assume playmaking duties behind central striker Kylian Mbappé.
Real Madrid predicted line-up vs. Atlético Madrid (4-2-3-1)
Coach: Xabi Alonso
Thibaut Courtois (GK), Dani Carvajal, Éder Militão, Dean Huijsen, Álvaro Carreras, Aurélien Tchouaméni, Federico Valverde,
Franco Mastantuono, Arda Güler, Vinícius Júnior, Kylian Mbappé
Where to watch on TV or live stream?
Unfortunately, no UK-based operator has purchased broadcasting rights for this match, so viewers here will need to download a VPN to access live coverage. The first Madrid derby of the new campaign is available to stream via Fubo, DirecTV, ESPN+, and ESPN Deportes, with the latter offering Spanish-language commentary.
La Liga enthusiasts in the UK and Ireland are able to watch a range of other Spanish top-flight fixtures without requiring a VPN, after Disney+ and Premier Sports brokered lucrative deals in the summer. Premier Sports remains the primary broadcaster of La Liga action for the aforementioned countries, while Disney+ will now show a high-profile fixture every Saturday night, with the next being this weekend’s clash between Villarreal and Athletic Bilbao at the Estadi de la Ceràmica.
Head-to-Head record
It won’t come as a surprise to many to learn that Real Madrid have the superior head-to-head record in this fixture, registering 117 wins and 58 draws in 240 meetings between the Spanish capital’s two giants.
Atléti will hope to record a 61st triumph over their fierce local rivals on Saturday afternoon, as they seek to avenge last season’s controversial Champions League exit. After losing 2-1 at the Bernabéu in the first leg of a pulsating Round of 16 tie, Los Rojiblancos claimed a 1-0 triumph in the return fixture thanks to Conor Gallagher’s very early strike. The subsequent penalty shootout saw Julián Alvarez ‘double-tap’ his spot-kick, which ultimately cost Diego Simeone’s men a quarter-final place.
The pair locked horns on two other occasions during the 2024/25 campaign, with both encounters ending in the same scoreline. A dramatic injury-time equalizer from Ángel Correa cancelled out Éder Militão’s opener at the Metropolitano last September, before goals from Julián Alvarez and Kylian Mbappé in the season’s second El Derbi Madrileño ensured consecutive 1-1 draws.
Odds for Atlético Madrid vs. Real Madrid
Given the two teams’ current form, the bookmakers have installed Real Madrid as slight favourites ahead of Saturday afternoon’s contest. However, there are also relatively short prices for a home win and the draw, so punters may be best served looking outside the moneyline market.
Leading sportsbook bet365 have slapped odds of 10/3 on Real Madrid to win and BTTS, which we believe provides better value than simply backing the visitors to record any type of victory.
Moneyline odds
Atlético Madrid: 15/8 (bet365)
Real Madrid to win and BTTS: 10/3 (bet365)
The odds, correct at the time of publication, are subject to change. All odds provided by bet365