Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid meet in a derby clash in La Liga this weekend.
The two clubs are separated by just two places in the table, with Real second and Atletico fourth, adding extra weight to an already fierce capital city rivalry.
Real Madrid vs Atletico Madrid – Match preview and team news
- Date: Sunday, 22nd March
- Kick-off: 8pm BST
- Venue: Estadio Bernabeu, Madrid
- Referee: Jose Luis Munuera Montero
- Last meeting: Atletico Madrid 1-2 Real Madrid, Spanish Super Cup, 8th January
Real Madrid team news
Alvaro Arbeloa faces several injury headaches heading into the derby. Ferland Mendy (muscle), Dani Ceballos (calf), and Rodrygo (knee) are all unavailable, with Mendy and Ceballos expected to return next month, while Rodrygo is sidelined for the remainder of the season.
Eder Militao has rejoined training but remains a doubt, whereas Jude Bellingham is back in full preparation and could feature.
Thibaut Courtois suffered a thigh problem against Manchester City and is ruled out until April, meaning Andriy Lunin retains his place in goal.
Kylian Mbappe, who returned from injury off the bench against City, is set to start his first match in over a month.
Atletico Madrid team news
Atleti have their own issues to contend with, as Diego Simeone’s side prepares for another intense derby amid a congested calendar at home and in Europe.
The Rojiblancos were recently hit by a fresh blow when midfielder Pablo Barrios suffered a minor hamstring tear in training, just after returning from a previous lay-off. Barrios is expected to be out for around a month.
Also sidelined are Jan Oblak and Rodrigo Mendoza with muscle and thigh injury respectively. Both are expected to return in the month of April.
After losing the match against Tottenham, Diego Simeone might decide to rotate the squad and bring back Alexander Sorloth into the starting XI.
While Julian Alvarez did not start of either of the last two league games, coming off the bench to keep him fresh for the Champions League. He is expected to return to the starting XI and add to his tally of eight league goals.
Form
Real Madrid: LWWWW
Los Blancos are on a four-game winning streak in all competitions and come into the derby on the back of a 2-1 win over Manchester City, which sent them through to the quarter-finals of the Champions League. They sit second in the La Liga table, four points off leaders Barcelona.
Atletico Madrid: LWWWL
Atleti are in good form, having won four league games on the bounce. They have only lost two of their last nine games in all competitions, both of which came in the second leg of knockout competitions in which they held a big lead on aggregate. They are fourth in the standings, nine points behind Real.
Predicted lineups
Real Madrid: Lunin; Alexander-Arnold, Rudiger, Huijsen, Carreras; Camavinga, Tchouameni, Valverde; Guler; Mbappe, Vinicius
Atletico Madrid: Musso; Molina, Pubill, Hancko, Ruggeri; Simeone, Llorente, Cardoso, Lookman; Sorloth, Alvarez
How to watch Real Madrid vs Atletico Madrid?
UK fans can watch Real Madrid vs Atletico Madrid live on Premier Sports 1.
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