Matches
Pitarch, Mbappe start in a 4-4-2 – How Real Madrid can line up against Atletico Madrid
Few fixtures in world football carry the intensity and weight of the Madrid derby, and Sunday evening promises to deliver another chapter of pure drama at the Santiago Bernabeu.
With the La Liga title race heating up, it is a defining moment in Real Madrid’s season.
Currently sitting second in the table, Los Blancos are chasing Barcelona at the top, trailing by four points.
Atletico Madrid, meanwhile, are third and nine points behind their city rivals, making this clash equally crucial for Diego Simeone’s side.
For Real Madrid, though, this is about pride, response, and control after that humiliating 2-5 defeat earlier in the season under Xabi Alonso.
Now under Alvaro Arbeloa, the team has shown optimism, as their home form has been particularly impressive.
Winning 12 of 14 matches at the Bernabeu, Madrid have turned their stadium into a fortress and they will need every bit of that advantage against a dangerous Atletico side.
Defence
The biggest talking point in defence heading into this derby is the absence of Thibaut Courtois. With the Belgian ruled out for over a month, the spotlight now shifts firmly onto Andriy Lunin.
The Ukrainian goalkeeper has already shown he can rise to big occasions. His performance in the Champions League win over Manchester City was decisive.
Now, he faces an even bigger test in a high-pressure derby where every mistake can prove costly.
In front of him, Real Madrid appear to have found some stability. Antonio Rudiger and Dean Huijsen have built a growing understanding in recent weeks, stepping up in the absence of Raul Asensio.
While Asensio is expected to return to the squad, it would not be a surprise if Arbeloa sticks with the current pairing, given their recent performances.
At full-back, Trent Alexander-Arnold continues on the right, offering creativity and attacking thrust, while Alvaro Carreras is set to return on the left after recovering from injury.
Midfield
In midfield, continuity seems to be the preferred approach. Federico Valverde and Aurelien Tchouameni remain the backbone of the team, combining physical presence with tactical intelligence.
Alongside them, Thiago Pitarch’s rise has been one of the most intriguing developments of the season.
The young midfielder has earned Arbeloa’s trust, particularly after being relied upon in both legs against Manchester City.
This derby could mark his sixth consecutive start, and notably, his first taste of the Madrid derby atmosphere.
Lastly, Arda Guler is expected to complete the midfield setup, adding creativity and technical quality.
However, there is a looming selection headache. With Jude Bellingham returning to full fitness, Arbeloa will soon face a difficult decision.
Attack
The biggest boost for Real Madrid comes in attack, where Kylian Mbappe is set to return to the starting lineup.
After recovering from a knee sprain, the French superstar has already made a brief comeback appearance and now looks ready to take centre stage once again.
His return could not have come at a better time. Partnering Vinicius Jr., Mbappe adds a level of unpredictability and direct threat that few defences can handle.
The chemistry between the two forwards will be crucial, especially against an Atletico side known for their defensive organisation.
The derby weekend is here as Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid are set to lock horns on Sunday afternoon at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano.
After an eventful transfer window and a stuttering start, Atletico Madrid reaffirmed their position as genuine title contenders and have done decently well so far this season.
With four wins, a draw and a defeat to their name, they sit on 13 points after six games.
Real Madrid, meanwhile, have only had one defeat and are on 15 points after as many games, only behind Barcelona who sit on a perfect record.
Diego Simeone’s men had a shaky start to the season, but have picked up steam in recent weeks with seven goals scored and none conceded in their last two games.
Given their strong record against Real Madrid at home, they will look to take all three points tomorrow.
Madrid Universal brings you three talking points ahead of Atletico Madrid vs Real Madrid.
A test away from home
It is no secret that Real Madrid’s form on the road this season has been poor, not necessarily for the results themselves but how the team have conducted themselves in away grounds.
For the first time in years, there appears to be a sense of uncertainty around Los Blancos’ ability to produce results away from home.
For long periods in the game, they appear willing to hand over the momentum, and the resultant pressure has seen them collapse.
A last-gasp winner from Carlos Espi handed them the win against Espanyol away from home, and they went on to lose against Real Betis in their second away fixture of the season.
Most recently, they bottled a 2-0 lead against Elche and again required a stoppage-time winner from Espi to take the three points.
Tomorrow’s game, in that sense, is extremely challenging, for it is not only away from home but against an opposition of high quality.
Playing Atletico Madrid at the Metropolitano is as challenging as games get, and Real Madrid have an extremely poor record at the venue.
Since 2017, Real Madrid have only won twice at the Metropolitano with three defeats and three draws. Last season, they suffered a 5-2 defeat and the game went on to break the team’s momentum.
Heading into such a tricky clash with an ongoing crisis away from home makes Sunday’s clash very complicated for the Merengues.
Arda Guler has to return
After a long time, Jose Mourinho took the Yan Diomande experiment to the next level and handed the player back-to-back starts for Real Madrid.
Clearly, the new signing still has a long way to go in terms of his adaptation, but he has been promising as an attacking outlet in his few appearances.
Diomande started both against Rayo Vallecano and Elche, but there is a strong case to drop him for the Madrid derby and play Arda Guler instead.
The Turkish international was on the bench against Rayo Vallecano and played as a No. 10 against Elche, with Jude Bellingham rested. Now, with the Englishman set to return, the manager has a decision to make.
Mourinho has made it clear that he wishes to ease Diomande into Real Madrid’s dynamics to reduce the pressure on his shoulders. Fielding him from the start in a derby would contradict that idea.
Beyond that, however, Guler has shown far more utility and promise as an attacking and creative outlet than Diomande, making the right-wing decision quite clear for the manager.
Real Madrid with and without Guler have been two completely different stories this season, and the team will require every last bit of creative inspiration that he has in him to get past Atletico Madrid tomorrow afternoon.
There is also a case for Brahim Diaz to be brought in, and the Moroccan star is also probably ahead of Diomande on the pecking order. Guler, however, stands out as a top option even ahead of Brahim.
Eyes on Vinicius Jr.
For years, Vinicius Jr. has always utilised the big stages to make his statements, for he has been a player to speak through performances and not words.
For instance, he scored a stunning solo goal last season against Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup at a time when he was least expected to do so. At that point, he had not scored in 16 straight games, but the big moment called out to him.
It is clear that the Brazilian is not going through his best moment right now once again. The past few weeks have been hard on him, especially after he did well at the World Cup and returned to Madrid with higher expectations on him.
So far this season, Vinicius has only scored one goal in seven games. Beyond the goals, however, he has not looked like his usual threatening self on the flank and has not created half as many chances as he usually would.
Such is the player’s situation that his place in the team is being called into doubt for the first time in years. After all, Yan Diomande can play on the left and showed glimpses of his ability in the previous game.
All eyes, thus, will be on Vinicius on Sunday to see if he can step up to the occasion and make his presence felt when it really matters. He has always been one for the big stage, and tomorrow’s stage is the biggest yet this season.
