Atletico Madrid v Real Madrid
Saturday 9th February 1515hrs
Football – Spain – La Liga
Pick Draw HT
Bookmaker Boylesports
Odds: 21/20 (odds taken 20.40 GMT, Friday 8th February)
Barcelona may be top of La Liga but all eyes will be on the Estadio Wanda Metrapolitano on Saturday for the next instalment of the Madrid derby between Atletico and Real – they’re usually not ones to be missed.
La Liga Betting at Boylesports
Atletico Madrid Preview
Atletico were presented with a golden opportunity last week following Barcelona dropping points at home to Valencia. Diego Simeone’s men could have narrowed the gap to Barca at the top of the table to just three points but they could not hold up their part of the deal as they frustratingly lost out to Real Betis the following night. What makes it even more disappointing for Simeone and Atleti is it was their first loss in the league since the beginning of December – an unbeaten run of 18 games without defeat. They’ll know only too well how difficult it will be to overhaul Barca at the top and have to take any opportunities which come their way. It also means they head into this derby game on the back of a defeat and leaves them no margin of error if they are to keep their title dream alive. There are certainly a lot of home comforts for Atleti who are unbeaten at their stadium in the league this season, winning nine and drawing twice. What’s even more impressive is they’ve won their last four home games without conceding a goal – although that’s something we now expect to see from this team. Simeone’s teams are built on defence and Atleti look on course to have the best defensive record in the league once again this season, conceding only 14 goals in 22 matches so far.
Key-Facts – Atletico Madrid v Real Madrid
- Both Madrid clubs need three points to keep pace with leaders Barcelona
- The last four league meetings between the clubs have all ended in draws
- Five of the last six league clashes have been level at half-time
Real Madrid Preview
It’s been said so many times about this Real Madrid team but there are plenty of short memories in football. Following a typically slow start to their campaign, Real were written off as having no chance of winning the title and under severe pressure to make any impact in Europe. Well, the winners of the previous three Champions Leagues love nothing more than proving people wrong and they have quietly moved into a position where they will feel they can threaten. Now only eight points behind Barca, Santiago Solari’s men can jumped into second spot with a win at their arch rivals on Saturday and set their sights on what would be a very unlikely La Liga title success. Inconsistencies have plagued them since the departures of Zinedine Zidane and Cristiano Ronaldo in the summer and although it could easily have been written off as a transitional season for most clubs, this is a different entity. They require success. It’s a season defining period for Solari with this match coming days after the first leg of their Copa Del Rey semi-final with Barcelona and before the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie against Ajax – but they could not be in better form to face those challenges.
Atletico Madrid v Real Madrid Betting Preview
You have to think that whoever loses this game would virtually be out of the title race and can concentrate on other endeavours in their quest for success. A draw would also not be of much use as it would present Barca a chance to go nine and 11 points clear respectively when they take on Bilbao on Sunday. It means that both Atletico and Real have to go for it and gain three points to ramp up the pressure on the league leaders.
It was honours even when the two Madrid rivals clashed at the Bernabeu earlier in the season in a goalless encounter. That was the fourth straight draw over 90 minutes which indicates just how closely matched the two teams are, the last time either side won a game against the other in La Liga was all the way back in 2016. There’s a threat that they could once again cancel each other out despite them needing to win and I expect it to be cagey in the opening stages so bet on the game being a draw at half-time – this selection would have been a winner in the last four league meetings and five of the last six.
