Diego Simeone kept information about the Madrid derby under wraps during Atletico 's final training session before hosting Real Madrid.
The Argentinian coach decided to move his team's training session from the Cerro del Espino training ground to the Metropolitano Stadium, where he shielded his players from prying eyes, thus avoiding revealing his plans.
It was a very light training session, with very little certainty. Jan Oblak, Marcos Llorente, Julian Alvarez and eight others.
Atletico's form has been inconsistent this season, following a tumultuous summer transfer window with a host of new signings.
Atleti's new signings are either injured or haven't been able to integrate into the team. Therefore, Simeone's pragmatic football philosophy – "Cholismo" – is not proving effective.
Atletico have only won 2 of their last 6 matches, conceding 7 goals – a high rate considering the team's usual style and goalkeeper Jan Oblak. As a result, the red and white team are currently in 8th place in La Liga 2025/26 .
The good news for Simeone is that Julian Alvarez has fully recovered and immediately burst into form. "La Arana" (The Spider) just scored a crucial hat-trick to help Atletico win 3-2 against Rayo Vallecano in the Madrid derby.
Now comes another, more important Madrid derby. Julian Alvarez and Atletico face Real Madrid – an opponent that inflicted a bitter defeat on them not long ago.
That was the second leg of the 2024/25 Champions League round of 16. Alvarez slipped during the penalty shootout, VAR intervened and overturned the result, leading to Atletico's abrupt elimination.
That incident changed the rules of penalty shootouts in world football. More than anyone else, Alvarez was eager for revenge when he met Real Madrid again at the Metropolitano.
They sought revenge and ended their neighbors' winning streak. Real Madrid remain unbeaten after 6 La Liga matches and 1 Champions League match with Xabi Alonso.
In recent matches, Alonso has been actively rotating his squad. However, in the derby, he may be able to field the players who have been in the best form since the beginning of the season.
Arda Guler continues to be a key player. Mastantuono is capable of playing as a right winger after scoring his first goal in the white shirt. Vinicius is also being considered for a starting spot, after rediscovering his form.
Jude Bellingham may be benched if he's not in good shape. With the derby and Alonso's demanding high-pressing style, the player needs to give 200% energy.
The Madrid derby promises to be a fierce battle, as Simeone and Xabi Alonso are no strangers to each other.
Force:
Atletico: Gimenez and Thiago Almada are injured; Johnny Cardoso's availability is uncertain.
Real Madrid: Mendy, Rudiger, Trent Alexander-Arnold are injured.
Predicted lineup:
Atletico (4-4-2): Oblak; Llorente, Le Normand, Lenglet, Hancko; Giuliano, Barrios, Koke, Nico Gonzalez; Raspadori, Julian Alvarez.
Real Madrid (4-3-3): Courtois; Carvajal, Militao, Huijsen, Carreras; Guler, Tchouameni, Valverde; Mastantuono, Mbappe, Vinicius.
Match odds: Real Madrid -1/4 handicap
Total goals: 2 3/4
Prediction: 2-2 .
Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/nhan-dinh-bong-da-atletico-vs-real-madrid-vong-7-la-liga-2446587.html
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