Welcome to cfrealmadrid.com. Today we are doing the Match Preview of Real Madrid vs Atletico Madrid that will be played on Matchday 22 in Liga Santander. After the trip to Zaragoza, Real Madrid is set to face Atletico Madrid in Estadio Santiago Bernabeu this weekend. Both teams last met in dramatic penalty shoot out in Jeddah for Super Espana Trophy final and Real Madrid won it.
Coming to the position in the league of both teams, we are leading the league table with 46 points while Atletico Madrid is on 5th spot with 36 points. Our team have been in the excellent form. Moreover, we have not tasted defeat from 20 matches. We won our last seven matches continuously.
Interestingly, Real Madrid are unbeaten in their last seven derbies against Atlético de Madrid in LaLiga (W2 D5). We draw five of the last six (W1), with four of them under Zinédine Zidane. However, Atlético de Madrid are unbeaten in their last six visits to Santiago Bernabéu in LaLiga (W3 D3). It was their longest unbeaten streak away from home against Real Madrid in the competition’s history.
The other interesting thing is Los Blancos and Atlético de Madrid have faced each other twice this season, drawing both 0-0 (September 2019 in LaLiga and January 2020 in Supercopa). It’s the first time in this derby history they have played out consecutive 0-0 draws in all competitions. Let’s discuss the Match Preview of Real MAdrid vs Atletico Madrid detail wise as follows.
Real Madrid vs Atletico Madrid-Match Preview:
Since Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid faced off in Jeddah for the SuperCopa final. Both teams have seemingly headed into opposite directions after the match. Atletico Madrid have been hit by more injuries and bad results. They also have spiralled behind in the league table. Atletico have already eliminated from Copa Del Rey and yet to face the curse of Liverpool in the Champions League.
On the other hand, we jumped to no.1 position to the league table after that face-off . Our unbeaten streak continues. Moreover, we qualified to the Quarter finals in the Copa Del Rey. So, looking at the situation of both club, our team is having the upper hand coming into the match. The undoing Atletico Madrid is always dangerous and sometimes hot to handle. So, we will have to take this game seriously if we want to win.
Zidane will likely use the five man midfield which brought him success in the Supercup. Vinicius, Jovic and James would be on the bench waiting for their chance if we need to turn things around. This time, Karim Benzema will be available in the squad. The French attacker didn’t play in the Supercup. We missed his presence in the attack. He is the team leading scorer and definitely a game changer for Madrid on his day.
Kickoff Timings:
The match will kick-off on 02/01/2020 at 16:00 CET (local time), 10:00am EST on Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid, Spain.
Squad:
Zidane has called 20 players for the match against Atletico Madrid. They are
Goalkeepers: Courtois, Areola, and Altube.
Defenders: Carvajal, Militao, Varane, Ramos, Marcelo and Mendy.
Midfielders: Casemiro,Kroos, Modric, Valverde, James and Isco.
Attackers: Benzema, Jovic , Lucas and Vinicius Jr..
Expected Line-up:
( 4-2-3-1 ) Courtois-Carvajal, Varane, Ramos, Mendy-Casemiro, Kroos-Valverde, Modric, Isco-Benzema.
Goalkeeper:
Thibaut Courtois is likely the starter for us this season. The Belgian is the most improved player from the last season. He has become the unsung hero from the negative role in limited time in the sight of the fans. He managed to keep 10 clean sheet in the league so far. Courtois also saved a penalty in the last match against Atletico in the penalty shootout and helped his team to win the match.
Defenders:
Defensively it has been the dramatic season for Real Madrid. Real Madrid are unbeaten in La Liga (W8 D4), keeping a clean sheet in eight of those 12 matches. In the heart of defense, Sergio Ramos and Varane will perform their duties. Both are enjoying excellent season in the terms of form and deliverance.
As both Costa and Felix are injured, the opposition strikers would be Morata and most probably Vitolo. The role of Varane and Ramos will be crucial against them. Carvajal and Mendy will be probably in the starting lineup against Atletico as fullbacks. Mendy provided defensive stability at the back that is the reason why he is preferred over Marcelo these days.
Midfielders:
Zidane will probably use the five midfielders phenomenon in this match. It is the most suited option for the Los Blancos to press with the midfield of the opposition and provide no spacing between the lines against them. Kroos and Casemiro will play deeper. Modric will come towards the front while Isco and Valverde will keep pressure on the defensive lines by the help of full backs near the flanks. We may see James replacing Isco in the later stages of the game.
Forwards:
Benzema scored in the last match after coming from the substitution. He has been the highest goal scorer for Los Blancos this season. Vinicius Jr. and Lucas Vazquez may come lately depending upon the situation and scoreline of the match.
Verdict:
This is a must-win game for us. It’s a tough fixture and Zidane must come up with the best of his tactics. However, I am optimistic about this match and I think we are going to win this game with a 1-0 scoreline. That’s all from the MAtch Preview of Real MAdrid vs Atletico Madrid. So, what are your thoughts on our Match Preview? Do you agree with our lineups? Who should start the game in your opinion? Let us know in the comments section below. Until the next time guys, Hala Madrid!
1 comment
Great content! Super high-quality! Keep it up! 🙂