What: Spanish La Liga
Who: Atletico Madrid vs Real Madrid
When: Wednesday 11th April, 2012, at 21:00 UK time
Where: Vicente Calderon, Madrid, Spain
Setback
Similar to their opponents, Atletico Madrid suffered a blow at the weekend, succumbing to a 2-0 defeat against Champions League aspirers Levante. This came as a hefty setback for Diego Simeone’s side, who under the coach managed a resurrection in La Liga, while being one of three Spanish sides in this season’s Europa League semi-finals. At their Vicente Calderon stadium, Atletico will hope to shock Los Merengues, knowing that their last victory at home against them occurred in the 1998/99 season.
The loss to Levante left the Mattress Makers with just two wins on the road so far this season, making them one of the poorest sides away from home. Speaking after their recent match, left-back Luis Filipe admitted that the home advantage could be the necessary leverage for his side to break their derby curse.
"It was not possible to score [against Levante] and now we are just thinking about the next match, in the derby against Real Madrid. We must respect them because they are the leaders and are one of the best Real Madrids in history, but we are playing at home and will try to get the win”, said the former Deportivo La Coruna man.
The Pressure is On
The expression was there for everyone to see at the Santiago Bernabeu on Sunday night. As referee Carlos Clos Gomez brought an end to 90 exhilarating minutes of football, the Madrid players looked at each other with disbelief: Held to a scoreless draw by Valencia on their own turf, Real Madrid are now just four points ahead of eternal rivals Barcelona. Los Blancos are still in the driving seat, but should complacency creep in now, they risk throwing everything away.
A reaction is demanded from Jose Mourinho, as his side prepare to face rivals Atletico Madrid in the famous Derbi Madrileno. Club captain Iker Casillas highlighted that although it has been a long time since Atletico won a derby, the side will be extra-motivated against the league leaders on the night.
“The derby will be a difficult match and we expect Atletico to be motivated, especially after their loss against Levante and because they haven’t defeated us in a very long time. They have reached the Europa League semi-finals and they have to continue winning in order to stay at the top of their game."
Recent form
Atletico Madrid:
Atletico Madrid 3-0 Getafe (01/04; La Liga)
Hannover 1-2 Atletico Madrid (05/04; Europa League)
Levante 2-0 Atletico Madrid (08/04; La Liga)
Real Madrid:
Osasuna 1-5 Real Madrid (31/03; La Liga)
Real Madrid 5-2 APOEL (04/04; Champions League)
Real Madrid 0-0 Valencia (08/04; La Liga)
Key absences
Atletico Madrid: Antonio Lopez; Silvio; Salvio (suspended); Miranda (suspended); Mario Suarez (suspended)
Real Madrid: None
Players to watch
Atletico Madrid – Thibaut Courtois: The Belgian shot-stopper will undoubtedly be under some threat as the visitors aim to inflict damage on his side. The on-loan Chelsea keeper is certainly one for the future, and should he keep Los Blancos at bay, his stock would even rise higher.
Real Madrid – Cristiano Ronaldo: It is times like these where Real Madrid rely on their most influential player on the pitch. His goals in the coming weeks will be needed as his side’s La Liga and Champions League business gets serious. When Ronaldo excels, Real Madrid are near-impossible to stop.
Match Prediction
Madrid derbies at the Vicente Calderon have been close in recent years and all indications point to a similar scenario this time around. The 0-0 draw with Valencia shows that the nine-time Champions League winners have no more room for error, and should get back to winning ways before their meetings with Bayern Munich and Barcelona. Atletico Madrid 1-2 Real Madrid.
Atletico Madrid v Real Madrid is La Liga’s standout fixture this week. Who will you bet on? Make sure you visit OLBG for tips and to compare the current odds and betting markets available at all the important bookmakers.
