Atletico Madrid vs Real Madrid Preview: Match preview, Kick-off Information, Where to watch, Head to Head, Players to watch out for, Betting Tips and more

Atletico Madrid will welcome city rivals Real Madrid to the Wanda Metropolitano on Saturday as both sides look to pull away from the other in the upper trenches of the LaLiga table.

After a stutter at the Anoeta a fortnight ago, Los Rojiblancos seem to have bounced back, albeit slightly. Since then, Diego Simeone’s men haven’t tasted defeat and also mounted an comeback against Juventus in the Champions League.

At the weekend, Atletico played out a dour 0-0 draw with Celta Vigo, whereas a couple of days ago, they cruised past RCD Mallorca 2-0.

Thus, at the moment, the loss to Real Sociedad only seems an aberration as Simeone hopes to end Barcelona and Real Madrid’s duopoly on LaLiga, again.

As for Los Blancos, they have yet to unfurl their belligerent colours. But, they’ve somehow managed to remain undefeated in the league, and in the process, propelling themselves to the perch of the table.

Karim Benzema has spearheaded Madrid’s charge and has been ably supported by the rest of the offensive cast, with each coming up trumps in different situations.

However, despite finding themselves comfortably placed at the pinnacle of the table, Los Blancos would be wary of their trip to the Wanda Metropolitano, considering what transpired on their last marquee away game.

A few days prior, Madrid were handed an absolute pasting by Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League. The French outfit, despite missing key personnel, put the Spanish side to the sword, consigning them to a humiliating 3-0 defeat.

Thus, one reckons that Los Blancos’ litmus test, especially in their rebuilding phase, would revolve around how well they are able to stand their ground against their closest rivals.

Before the slump in 2018-19, Madrid possessed an incredible record when facing their nearest challengers, an aspect that helped them scale the European club summit thrice in a row, and Atletico represent the latest obstacle on Real’s road to redemption, and though a victory will only strengthen the latter’s credentials, a defeat would make the chants of ‘same, old Real Madrid’ ring even louder.

To add further spice to an already delectable encounter, there is the small matter of the game being a Madrid Derby, a fixture that has provided the perfect blend of drama, excitement, frenzy, and more importantly, moments of footballing genius, previously.

Thus, it is time to sit back, relax and savour what the two Madrid outfits serve up on Saturday at the Wanda Metropolitano.

After all, when Atletico are on a collision course with Real Madrid, there are plenty of fireworks; win, lose, or draw.

Kick-off Information

Date: 28th September, 2019

Time: 09:00pm (Local Time); 12:30am IST on the 29th of September, 2019

Venue: Wanda Metropolitano, Madrid

Where to watch: Facebook Watch

Head to Head Record

Total Matches Played: 223 matches

Atletico Madrid: 57 wins

Real Madrid: 110 wins

Draw: 56 draws

Form Guide (Last five competitive matches; Most recent first)

Atletico Madrid: W-D-D-L-W

Real Madrid: W-W-L-W-D

Players to watch out for

Saul Niguez

Saul would want to remind the world what he is capable of

Saul Niguez broke onto the footballing landscape a few seasons ago after impressing in a variety of roles for Atletico Madrid. Subsequently, the Spaniard was touted to take the world by storm, courtesy his exemplary understanding of the game and raw ability on the ball.

However, despite boasting several strings to his bow, Saul has found it tough to establish himself as one of the premier midfielders on the planet.

Though that could be down to the Spaniard being underrated, he would’ve still wanted his name to be mentioned in the same breath as Luka Modric, Toni Kroos and the likes.

Thus, against Real Madrid on Saturday, Saul will have another opportunity to remind the world what he is capable of, especially at a time when Los Rojiblancos are looking for players who can inspire on a regular basis.

Most football enthusiasts know that the Spaniard has the tools to achieve greatness. Now, it is up to the midfielder to keep lending weight to that notion.

Eden Hazard

Hazard is still searching for his best form

In the summer, Eden Hazard became Los Blancos’ latest ‘Galactico’ signing when the club acquired the Belgian from Chelsea.

At that juncture, many felt that the winger would act as the perfect replacement for Cristiano Ronaldo, and subsequently, catapult Madrid into the higher echelons of Spanish league football.

And, though that school of thought hasn’t particularly been flipped, a lot more people have become sceptical, in light of the Belgian’s scrappy start to life in Spain.

However, Hazard, on his day, still represents one of the most attacking weapons across the globe and while those occasions haven’t been too frequent at the Bernabeu, there have been enough signs pointing towards a renaissance.

During his stint with Chelsea, the Belgian often chose the biggest of platforms to stamp his authority, and if he wants to endear himself to the Los Blancos faithful, he might just have to pull another one of those rabbits out of his hat against Atletico.