Much will be at stake when Real Madrid will travel across the city to face rivals Atletico Madrid in a very crucial match, which could well decide the fate of both the teams.
Both teams have been through rough patches and perhaps the time has come to turn things around. Real Madrid are seemingly losing ground in the domestic battle as they are far behind than league leaders Barcelona.
Zinedine Zidane’s team are currently placed in the third spot and are eight points adrift of the Catalans. Similarly, Atleti are looking like a shadow of their last year’s form and they badly need some momentum to rediscover their lost glory.
Their performance in the Champions League could be a telling factor in this match. Atletico have failed to make it to the next round of the Champions League while Real Madrid fell to an uncharacteristic defeat at the hands of Tottenham Hotspur in their last group stage match at Wembley.
This will be a matter of prestige as both Antoine Griezmann and Cristiano Ronaldo will be eager to tame their opponents with their scoring acts. It remains to be seen who comes up as a winner and the result will certainly have an impact on their future course of action.
Injury News And Predicted Lineups
Real Madrid
Luka Modric skipped Thursday’s training session as he returned from his international duty. The midfielder’s presence in the starting lineup in the derby remains a doubt and Zidane is unlikely to rush things.
Dani Carvajal is certain to make an appearance in this match. Keylor Navas and Gareth Bale continue their recovery from injuries.
Predicted Lineup
Casilla ; Marcelo, Ramos, Varane, Carvajal ; Casemiro, Kroos, Kovacic; Isco, Ronaldo, Benzema.
Atletico Madrid
Koke and Yannick Carrasco are fit and should be available for this match. Defenders Stefan Savic and Filipe Luis are both expected to feature in this match.
Predicted Lineup
Oblak; Luis, Savic, Godin, Juanfran; Saul, Gabi, Koke, Gaitan; Gameiro, Griezmann
Key Players
Real Madrid
Isco
The Spanish international has been the sole reason why Madrid have managed to heat themselves up in the La Liga so far. The attacking midfielder’s knack of knitting a pass and his free-flowing game could be the key to this match.
Atletico Madrid
Antoine Griezmann
This could be the make or break game for the Atletico Madrid forward. The French international hasn’t been in his best form but this kind of matches should help him to reinvent himself.
