All eyes will be on La Liga this weekend as one of the most heated rivalries in European football will be reignited this Sunday in the Madrid Derby. Real Madrid, who are the defending champions in Spain, will visit bitter neighbors Atletico at the Metropolitano Stadium in the first true hurdle in the title race.
The objective for the away side is simple: beat Simeone's men in order to maintain their perfect start. Los Blancos are the only team in Spain yet to drop a point, a feat not even Barcelona can boast about despite Xavi's men being jaw-dropping this season.
However, with the Blaugrana winning 3-0 against Elche, Ancelotti's side need a victory over Los Rojiblancos in order to reclaim the top spot. Fortunately, with their recent victories over Mallorca in Spain, and over RB Leipzig and Celtic in the UEFA Champions League, Los Merengues should enter this tie with all the confidence in the world.
However, it isn't all good news. Karim Benzema could miss this tie due to injury, meaning much of the goalscoring burden will fall on Vinicius Jr.'s shoulders, but given the recent controversy, the Brazilian will relish the challenge.
In the build-up to Sunday's showdown, Atletico captain Koke warned the Selecao ace not to dance if he scores as he will land himself in trouble while Pedro Bravo, the president of the Association of Spanish Agents, told the 22-year-old to show respect and stop "playing the monkey", sparking huge controversy for the racial connotations behind that remark.
Regardless, expect Vinicius Jr. and his fellow Real Madrid men to be focused on the task at hand: winning the Madrid Derby. Los Blancos will be in for a jam-packed October, playing nine games next month, including El Clasico and home and away clashes against Shakhtar Donetsk, meaning they cannot afford a slip-up regardless of this fixture's difficulty.
Meanwhile, Atletico cannot afford to drop points themselves as they are already five points behind the league leaders. Having suffered one defeat and one draw from their opening five games, it isn't surprising to see Simeone's men in the seventh spot.
The first stumble came just under a month ago, with Joao Felix and Co. losing 2-0 at home to Unai Emery's Villarreal. The Madrid giants responded immediately by winning 1-0 away to Valencia in their next game but dropped points soon after, this time drawing 1-1 at Real Sociedad.
The same is true in Europe, with Los Rojiblancos kicking off their UEFA Champions League campaign with a dramatic 2-1 triumph over Porto only for them to lose 2-0 away to Bayer Leverkusen on Tuesday on Matchday 2, thus leaving them third in the group.
Bragging rights are up for grabs, but with Simeone eyeing another title push after surrendering the league crown to their neighbors last season, the hosts must triumph. Defeat would leave them eight points behind Real Madrid while a victory would take them within two points of their rivals, which should make for an interesting 90 minutes of football.
Team news
Atletico: While much of the pre-match conversation has surrounded Karim Benzema's absence, this is not to say that Simeone is without casualties as the Argentine tactician will be without Stefan Savic, Jose Gimenez, Thomas Lemar, and Sergio Reguilon. Fortunately, Jan Oblak is back and should reclaim his spot in between the sticks while Antoine Griezmann could make a cameo, albeit a short one.
Real Madrid: As mentioned earlier, Benzema isn't available for this fixture due to his thigh issue, meaning Rodrygo and Valverde are destined to join Vinicius Jr. in the front three. Eder Militao has had a fitness issue of his own but the Brazilian is back in training and could feature in the back should Ancelotti opt for experience.
Key stats
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Atletico Madrid have lost only four of their last 38 home games in the Spanish top-flight.
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Since February 2016, Real Madrid have lost only one Madrid Derby.
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Ancelotti's men have lost only three of their last 36 away games in La Liga.
Broadcast listings
Match details, result and original broadcast info
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Live TV coverage and streaming in United States
Live TV coverage and streaming in United States
