Atletico Madrid vs Real Madrid: 5 Factors that could decide the outcome of Madrid Derby

Atletico Madrid's next challenge in the league after a disappointing loss to Real Betis will be their neighbors Real Madrid. The Los Blancos should be relieved to have all the momentum after their string of good performances, notably against Sevilla and Barcelona.

Atleti, on the other hand, are lacking the confidence and momentum and they have themselves to blame. They got knocked out of the Cup thanks to Girona's spirited performance and they failed to close the gap on Barcelona last week.

The last 4 Madrid derbies have ended in draws, the longest ever run of draws between the teams. Atletico has failed to score in the last two Madrid derbies, but they haven't ever gone scoreless in three consecutive Madrid Derbies.

While fixture congestion is a problem for Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid is hit with a string of injuries. Saul, Koke, and Costa are all expected to miss the game on Saturday. With so much to ponder upon, here are five factors that could decide the game.

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#5 Real Madrid's approach to the game

Real Madrid is already down on energy and now they also have to face Atleti and Ajax in quick succession.

This is more or less the biggest reason. Why not Atleti's approach? They don't have any congestion in fixtures and their Champions League tie is in the week following the next. Real Madrid's approach will be the biggest factor in today's game. They are coming off a heated battle at the Camp Nou that saw the fielding of all their big players and yet only salvage a draw.

So what will Solari do here? Real Madrid are 9 points behind league leaders Barcelona and with a win, they could get that gap down to six assuming the Catalans lose. But is that enough? Six points would still be a big difference and that is assuming that Barcelona looses.

Solari cannot act according to the situation because they play before the Blaugrana. If Solari still believes he has a chance at the League then he will have to field a strong 11 against Atleti. If he does that then he will have a fatigued bunch of players against Ajax.

If Solari rotates freely allowing the main players to have a rest, we know that a loss against Atleti will not go down well at Madrid. The fans want to see their players give everything they got. Fatigue and stress would not be an excuse. So what will Solari do? Does he opine that they have lost the league and better would be to take a point out of this and go home? Or does he believe that they still have a chance and attempt to beat Atleti then beat Barca?

The answer inside Solari's head will be the key.

#4 Alvaro Morata's influence

Not at all a bad return to LaLiga for Alvaro Morata. But he surely would have loved a goal or two. He loves scoring against his former teams too.

Alvaro Morata's debut for Atleti wasn't a bad one. He was their best-rated player against Real Betis. The Spaniard completed 5 dribbles and won 6 aerial duels. If that wasn't enough, he also made two successful tackles and an interception. But look, he's a striker and for a striker missing 3 of his four shots is not a good sign.

Morata did so much against Betis and also linked up well with Griezmann in the final third. Is that necessary? If Atletico can provide him the better through passes, better crosses, better support from the wings, then he can improve on what is needed. If he does his basic job right, that is finishing, in general, we don't need to look what his other stats read.

Atleti needs to make sure that they give adequate support from the wings. Morata's ability to win headers is amazing so crossing would do enough. The most important thing is Morata's finishing. His lackluster finishing was excusable in the last game since he completed dribbles, made defensive contributions, had good linkups etc. If he concentrates on finishing only and yet comes up short, then it might become inexcusable.

#3 Diego Godin's back in the mix: How will he marshal the troops?

The Uruguayan warrior returns to hold his fort at the Wanda: Diego Godin

This is the biggest advantage for Atletico, going into the game, will be the invaluable addition of Diego Godin. They might miss the likes of Koke, Saul, and Diego Costa for the derby, but if you ask me, Los Colchoneros should take one Diego Godin instead of the three injured players. Basically because replacing Godin is a tough task and in the last game, the whole positioning in the defense was topsy-turvy.

Arias started at right-back but he has less experience, Juanfran at left-back but playing out of position, Lucas Hernandez at center-back but again, playing out of position. When Godin comes in, you have that starter at a center-back spot fixed. Godin and Gimenez it is. Then you have the luxury to move Juanfran back to right-back and play Lucas Hernandez on the left.

Godin is also the most influential member of the team. He knows how to command his defenders in the back, he knows when to play a deep defensive line, he knows when to ask his full-backs to advance, he knows it all. It comes from the invaluable experience of playing for the team. That said, he is coming back from an injury. Will he be 100%? Will he feel discomfort during the game? Can he focus on the game fully? It needs to be seen.

#2 Will Solari end his adamancy?

Isco can add much-needed creativity to break down the defense but he would most likely have to do it from the bench.

Now, is Santiago Solari adamant? He has got Real Madrid back on track. He has them playing wonderfully, he has not hesitated to try Castilla players, he surely cannot be adamant, can he? Well, the Real Madrid coach is really adamant when it comes to one player, Isco Alarcon. He doesn't seem to start Isco, ever.

From the most dangerous of oppositions to the easiest of oppositions, Isco has had the privilege of watching them from the bench. Is it really his fault? He hasn't been on the pitch for even 150 minutes combined since Solari took charge. That may be a bit of exaggeration but still, he has surely not played 90 minutes even once. Against Sevilla, Real Madrid found out what a stubborn opponent looks like. There was point-blank no creativity to break the lines.

Madrid was lucky to take the lead due to Casemiro's stunner and that too late in the game. It doesn't happen every time and surely won't happen against Oblak. From that long-range, if you are banking on beating Oblak rather than break down the lines and get a close-range strike, you be my guest.

Sevilla are nothing compared to Atletico, who are the most frustrating team to play against in LaLiga. We found that out when they faced Barcelona. They close their defenses down and they hit you at counters and set-pieces.

If Solari doesn't start Isco here, then he should leave the club for good. There won't be any other match this high-profile, with this much need for creativity, and also where squad rotations are a necessity. Isco starting means Real Madrid would have a creative player in their ranks to try and unlock the defense. It would also mean that their usual starters can have a good rest before the game against Ajax.

#1 Vinicius or Bale: The left-wing conundrum

Vinicius Junior's blistering pace and aesthetically pleasing gameplay cover up for the fact that he has been poor at making final-third passes and choosing the right option.

Now, why is that a conundrum? Because it is one and it is not just about Bale being sub-par, it is also about Vinicius lacking maturity. Yes, many fans would curse Bale for missing that shot at open goal against Barcelona. But look, what makes you think that Vinicius Junior, 18-year-old, not the best of long-range strikers, would have hit the open net without taking a touch, especially when he had missed 4 shots already.

Make no mistake, Bale should have hit it. But one miss is no reason for saying that Vinicius must have hit that and thus 'Bye, Bye, Bale'. Bale is a seasoned campaigner and deserves some respect. So whom do you start now?

Bale, who is low on confidence surely, but also has the experience of playing in pressure matches. Or Vinicius, who is not low on confidence, but still had an awful game against Barcelona, completing only 1 dribble and making 46% passes. If we look clearly, Vinicius failed to make two to three easy passes that could have led to a goal, but Bale's miss was the only thing that people spotted.

Vinicius' horrific pass percentage gives you the best picture. He made only 11 passes in the game. 11 passes from a winger and still only 46% success. First of all, that is a lot less number of passes than you expect a winger to attempt. Secondly, your precision has to be high when attempting a low number of passes to make up for it.

So who seems worse now? Surely. you would say Bale is, but Vinicius too is just a young kid and when under pressure his numbers read as horrific as those given above. Now just because he dribbled past Pique once doesn't make his performance great. His pace and confidence while taking opponents on hides the fact that he lacks clarity in the final third.

It's up to Solari as to who would start. He must have two things in mind. One who starts here should rest against Ajax. But what if the one who starts delivers a masterclass? Then does he start against Ajax? Also, who does Solari bank on starting against Ajax irrespective of the performance in the Madrid Derby? Only the Los Blancos coach knows the answer.