What: Spanish La Liga
Who: Atletico Madrid (7th; 39 points) vs Real Madrid (2nd; 70 points)
When: Saturday 19th March, 2011, at 21:00 UK time
Where: Vicente Calderon, Madrid, Spain

Out for Revenge

Competition will be high in the air as the Vicente Calderon stadium hosts the 147th Madrid derby, in a match that rarely fails to live up to expectations. Having been beaten by Real during the reverse fixture earlier this season, Quique Sanchez Flores’ team will be hoping to inflict what could be a serious blow to their title challenge on their famous neighbours, knowing perfectly well that they haven’t defeated them in over eleven years.

The general atmosphere at Atletico remains a positive one, despite the team’s inability to produce a string of positive results in their domestic competition that would take them into the Champions League spots. As goalkeeper David de Gea recently declared, his team does not fear Real Madrid, and will be hoping to break their recent bad luck against Los Blancos when the two meet: “Our team and fans deserve a victory over Real Madrid. We are not afraid of them or Jose Mourinho, we are Atletico Madrid."

But while De Gea seems optimistic, history does not favour his team, who have been beaten by Real on three occasions already this season – twice in the Copa del Rey and once in La Liga. The Rojiblancos would therefore need to put in the performance of their season should they want to win when the two city giants collide.

Breaking the Jinx

For their part, Real Madrid could not have had a better week. Having come up with a precious win over Hercules, the gap behind Barcelona was slashed to just five points as the Blaugrana drew with Sevilla, reigniting the league race. And as if that wasn’t enough, Madrid’s Champions League victory over Lyon in midweek assured Los Merengues of their first quarter-final place in seven years.

Having their loss against the same opponent at the same stage last year well in mind, there was always the sense of a “what if” around the Santiago Bernabeu. However, any concerns quickly faded away as the home team imposed themselves and won the midfield battle. Had it not been for the heroics of custodian Hugo Lloris, the match’s scoreline would have been less flattering for the French.

Giving the team’s interview after the win over Lyon, Jose Mourinho remained calm, saying that his team was always expected to qualify: “We are Real Madrid, it is normal for us to qualify for the quarter-finals. It was a victory against a very good team and I think that we deserved it. We deserve to be there [in the last eight]."

 

Recent form

Atletico Madrid:
Getafe 1-1 Atletico Madrid
(02/03; La Liga)
Atletico Madrid 3-1 Villarreal
(05/03; La Liga)
Almeria 2-2 Atletico Madrid
(12/03; La Liga)

Real Madrid:
Racing Santander 1-3 Real Madrid (06/03; La Liga)
Real Madrid 2-0 Hercules
(12/03; La Liga)
Real Madrid 3-0 Olympique Lyonnais (16/03; Champions League)

Key absences

Atletico Madrid: Fran Merida; Pulido

Real Madrid: Kaka; Fernando Gago; Gonzalo Higuain; Ezequiel Garay (doubt)

Players to watch

Atletico Madrid – David de Gea: The young shot-stopper has been admirable whenever both teams clashed on the pitch this term. Equipped with feline-like reflexes, De Gea is surely the future of Spanish goalkeeping, and given his performances, it is no secret why the likes of Manchester United are hot on his trail.

Real Madrid – Mesut Ozil: There is no better man at the moment at Real Madrid than Mesut Ozil. While Karim Benzema bags in the goals on a regular basis now, it is the young German midfielder who has truly been at the heart of this Real Madrid team. Rarely conceding possession and with admirable passing, Ozil is a Ballon d’Or winner in the making.


Match Prediction

By knocking out Lyon in the Champions League on Wednesday night, Real Madrid’s stock as a potential competition winners skyrocketed through the roof. Enjoying a fine league moment as well, the chances of seeing Los Blancos slip as they chase Barcelona appear minimal. Against Atletico, Mourinho’s side hold an excellent record and will have little trouble beating the Mattress Makers. Expect the guests to return home with full spoils after a 2-0 win.

For top betting tips and a wide range of markets and odds on Atletico Madrid v Real Madrid don’t forget to visit OLBG.