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Three talking points ahead of Real Madrid vs Atletico Madrid | La Liga MD 29
Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid will lock horns on Sunday at the Santiago Bernabeu in what will be their final game before the first international break of 2026.
The teams have faced off against one another twice before this season, and both games were memorable in their own ways.
When they locked horns in La Liga early in the season, Los Rojiblancos took a massive 5-2 win against Real Madrid and made a massive statement. In the Spanish Super Cup semi-final, however, it was Los Blancos who won 2-1.
Both games so far this season were under the management of Xabi Alonso, and tomorrow, it will be Alvaro Arbeloa’s chance to have a go at the local rivals in a crucial game.
Madrid Universal brings you three talking points ahead of Real Madrid vs Atletico Madrid.
A season-defining injury
There are not many injuries that could be more damning to Real Madrid’s campaign than that of Thibaut Courtois, but the Belgian is out of action now and at a terrible point in the season.
Just before the business end of the campaign begins, the goalkeeper has been hit with a six-week layoff period to recover and will be unavailable for Real Madrid. That begins with tomorrow’s derby against Atletico Madrid.
Courtois’ importance in Real Madrid’s dynamics cannot be understated, especially when one considers how his saves, at times, are as important and regular as goals at the other end of the field.
To have him out not only for the derby but the quarterfinals of the UEFA Champions League and possibly even the semifinals, needless to say, could prove to be a season-defining blow.
Andriy Lunin steps in as an efficient backup and has done well whenever called upon by various managers over the years at Real Madrid. Given that he has been out of action for long, however, there is always an element of doubt over his ability to step in.
If Lunin can display the form he showed the last time Courtois had a major injury, Real Madrid are in safe hands. If he is anywhere below that standard, however, trouble could be brewing.
Game-changer returns
While one of Real Madrid’s stalwarts steps out of the field through injury, another makes his return to the field from a major injury. Kylian Mbappe is that player.
The Frenchman was out of action for close to a month after Real Madrid’s defeat to Osasuna and only made his return off the bench against Manchester City in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 midweek.
Arbeloa did, however, confirm that Mbappe is back to 100%, and as such, he is expected to be a starter against Atletico Madrid tomorrow night.
Brahim Diaz started alongside Vinicius Jr. in Mbappe’s absence and did well as a supporting forward, creating mayhem in opposition boxes and aiding in the link-up play.
Mbappe’s return, however, will force the manager to overlook all of Diaz’s contributions and reinstate the Frenchman, especially given his goalscoring form this season.
While it does come as a major boost for Real Madrid, the manager and medical staff will ensure to keep a keen eye on the player’s condition in the coming games as well to ascertain that he is truly past his knee issues.
After all, an aggravation or relapse at this stage would be devastating for Real Madrid and the player’s World Cup campaign.
A first for Arbeloa
Alvaro Arbeloa’s tenure as Real Madrid manager has not been overly flowery so far, and the results are quite concerning if one takes a distant glance.
The team’s performance has improved in recent weeks including the two big wins over Manchester City. Besides that, however, they have been largely inconsistent especially on the big nights.
Over the years as the coach of Real Madrid’s youth and reserve teams, Arbeloa has overseen many Madrid derbies from the bench. Tomorrow, however, will be the first time he does so for the senior team, and it is clear that the pressure will be on him.
Someone who engaged in multiple derby clashes himself as a player for the club, Arbeloa knows exactly what a win in such a game means for the dressing room, the fanbase, and the administration.
Arbeloa has never faced off against either Barcelona or Atletico Madrid as the manager of the first team, and tomorrow will thus be his first big Spanish test. A lot of eyes will be on the team’s performance and his management on the night.
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Clean sheet at last, Vinicius’ moment of madness | Three takeaways from Real Madrid 1-0 Villarreal
Real Madrid took all three points against Villarreal on Saturday night to get back on track after the international break, and thus ensured they did not continue sinking after the defeat at the Madrid derby.
Jose Mourinho made some bold decisions in his starting XI as he benched Vinicius Jr., playing Yan Diomande on the left-flank and Arda Guler on the right flank.
The dynamics worked out decently well, and it was eventually the new record signing who scored for the club to hand them the lead and the win.
Compared to performances before the international break, there was an improvement in terms of Real Madrid’s level, but the team are still far off from where they must be to make a strong case to be title contenders.
Madrid Universal brings you three takeaways from Real Madrid 1-0 Villarreal.
The struggle continues
All of Real Madrid’s season so far has been of struggles and difficult wins, and the same theme continued last night as the team returned from the international break.
Los Blancos have failed to look convincing for a long time now, and they did not dominate Villarreal in any capacity last night as well.
Continuing with the same theme of winning by narrow margins and scraping past the finish line, they registered yet another 1-0 win that did not leave anyone convinced.
Yan Diomande’s goal was the only positive takeaway from the night, and even that was made possible only after a narrow offside decision went in their favor. With the firepower they have, struggling to create chances to such an extent seems inexcusable.
With a difficult month ahead, last night’s game did not give fans any reason to believe matters have changed after the international break. At this rate, the coming month could be a bleak one for Los Blancos.
Vinicius’ moment of madness
Of all the events that transpired at the Santiago Bernabeu last night, the most memorable one was the incident involving Vinicius Jr.’s goal, and embarrassingly so.
Having seemingly scored a great goal ten minutes after Diomande’s opener, the Brazilian star was on his way to celebrate the achievement, but what unfolded thereafter was embarrassing.
The VAR found an incident of Vinicius pulling the hair of a Villarreal player for no apparent reason in the build-up to the goal, and at this point there can be no arguments defending the player’s behavior.
As one of the biggest names of one of Europe’s biggest clubs, there has to be a sense of responsibility in one’s role – something Vinicius simply does not seem to have. What he did last night was simply inexcusable.
A lot can be said about VAR’s selective interference, but what cannot be argued is that what Vinicius did last night was a clear red card offense.
He will now miss El Clasico and will serve at least a two-game suspension. Whether that is a boon or a bane for Real Madrid, at this point, remains unknown and only time will tell.
A clean sheet at last
Ahead of last night’s win over Villarreal, Real Madrid had only overseen one clean sheet in eight games across competitions.
In that sense, simply keeping the opposition from scoring last night was an achievement in itself for Los Blancos, and it could not have come at a better time.
Real Madrid entered the game without many of their regular defenders available, especially with Dean Huijsen suspended and Eder Militao and Raul Asencio out through injury.
Ibrahima Konate and Antonio Rudiger, thus, started in central defense on the night and both did phenomenally well for Los Blancos. They were joined by Alvaro Carreras and Trent Alexander-Arnold, both of whom complemented the duo well.
The right-back was a relatively weak link defensively, but Konate and Rudiger were spot-on with their reading of the game to keep the Villarreal attack from scoring. They both did eventually pick up yellow cards, but Villarreal finished the game without a single big chance created.
Finding defensive stability, which is the cornerstone of Mourinho’s project, is massive for the manager, and he will be pleased to have a new working formula.
What happens after Huijsen’s return, however, remains to be seen, as the manager may well like to hand the new duo some more chances to prove their consistency.
