What: Spanish La Liga
Who: Real Madrid vs Atletico Madrid
When: Saturday 1st December, 2012, at 21:00 UK time
Where: Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid, Spain
Critical Stage
Eleven points off the mark of league leaders Barcelona, any hopes of Real Madrid retaining their league crown are surely handing by a thread. With the Blaugrana showing no sign of slipping at the moment, Real Madrid have to fight for second place first. Eight points behind Atletico Madrid, this Derbi Madrileno is a “must win” game for Jose Mourinho and his team.
Real Madrid’s last result against Real Betis was an unexpected one, to say the least, as the team could not find a solution after falling behind to Benat’s strike. Against Atletico Madrid, who are enjoying better times than their cross-town rivals, Los Blancos will have to pull together to get through this one, even on their home turf. A good showing in the Madrid derby in recent years will also aid their cause from a psychological point of view, as the reigning league champions last lost on this occasion in the 1999/2000 league season.
Jose Mourinho faces a conundrum in midfield however, picking who should support striker Karim Benzema in this one; the choice is between Luka Modric and Mesut Ozil.
Never Better
In recent years, Atletico Madrid have been accustomed to being behind Real Madrid whenever this occasion came around. However, the Mattress Makers are in a good position at this point of the season, occupying second place and just three points off the top of the table. Eight points ahead of their foes, a win over Real Madrid at the Bernabeu would surely kill their opponents’ title chances and allow them to continue their hunt for league leadership.
Diego Simeone has so far done a great job after taking over from Gregorio Manzano almost a year ago. No Atletico Madrid team have ever appeared to be more confident of breaking the curse against Real Madrid than this.
Star striker Radamel Falcao expressed the side’s ambitions for this season. “To finish above our main rivals [Real Madrid] would be quite significant for everyone. Our fans would be delighted if we managed to do so this season. We want to top La Liga but we don’t look at Real Madrid or ourselves, we just think about the next game.”
Recent form
Real Madrid:
Manchester City 1-1 Real Madrid (21/11; Champions League)
Real Betis 1-0 Real Madrid (24/11; La Liga)
Real Madrid 3-0 Alcoyano (27/11; Copa del Rey)
Atletico Madrid:
Atletico Madrid 1-0 Hapoel Tel-Aviv (22/11; Europa League)
Atletico Madrid 4-0 Sevilla (25/11; La Liga)
Atletico Madrid 1-0 Real Jaen (28/11; Copa del Rey)
Key absences
Real Madrid: Michael Essien; Marcelo; Gonzalo Higuain; Raul Albiol
Atletico Madrid: Cristian Rodriguez (doubt)
Players to watch
Real Madrid – Cristiano Ronaldo: Named amongst the three candidates for the 2012 FIFA Ballon d’Or, the Portuguese has now gone four games without scoring for his side. With Real Madrid off colour regularly this season, he will need to lead by example in order to be decisive against Atletico Madrid.
Atletico Madrid – Radamel Falcao: The Colombian is the most talked about name in Spanish football at the moment. His abilities have allowed Atletico Madrid to continue competing at the top of the table, while his name has been consistently linked with other clubs. Falcao will be his team’s focal point.
Match Prediction
Playing in front of their own supporters, Real Madrid have the chance to continue their domination of the Madrid derby. This is surely the best Atletico Madrid side that they have faced in recent years, and the visitors will undoubtedly make it tough. However, in a must win situation, the home side should find a path to victory. Real Madrid 2-1 Atletico Madrid.
