Atletico Madrid vs. Real Madrid: Tactical Preview of Madrid Derby Game

Atletico Madrid host Real Madrid in the Copa del Rey round of 16 matchup on Wednesday—the first of a two-legged, intense affair. Whenever these two meet it sparks fireworks, and in 2015 it's arguable the rivalry is as enjoyable to the neutrals as Real's clashes with Barcelona.

Let's take a tactical look at this match, preview how it may play out and draw up the key battles.

Atletico Setup

Diego Simeone's men have an extra day's rest working in their favour here, given that they last played on January 3 and Real Madrid played January 4. The break over Christmas ensures all players are relatively fresh, but in a match of small margins, this is a definite advantage.

Per AS.com, Mario Mandzukic and Arda Turan received the day off from training on Sunday. Guilherme Siqueira trained individually after picking up a knock at the weekend alongside Miranda, who is being eased back.

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Many in Spain therefore assumed Fernando Torres could start in place of Mandzukic, and Simeone has confirmed, via AS, that El Nino has looked strong, sharp and ready to carry the load. It's one of the most highly anticipated (second) debuts in recent history.

Antoine Griezmann is hitting form and should start just off the striker, while Mario Suarez could come into the midfield.

Real Setup

"Keylor Navas is going to play in the cup, and he will play right until the end of the competition," Carlo Ancelotti told AS.com ahead of the game. It's the Costa Rican goalkeeper's big chance to impress.

Ancelotti also intimated he could make "some changes" after some players have not recovered from the 2-1 loss to Valencia, placing a question mark over the heads of James Rodriguez, Dani Carvajal, Marcelo, Sergio Ramos and Isco.

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Ancelotti would be wise to use his full complement given how deep his squad is, but he will likely want to give Gareth Bale a chance for redemption—his selfishness at Mestalla has drawn the ire of Karim Benzema, Cristiano Ronaldo and a large pocket of Blancos fans.

Key Point 1: Breaking Atletico Down

Breaking Atletico down is a nightmare. If you don't have a game-changing central midfielder who can break between the lines and force over-committing from Atleti's defenders, you'll struggle to get anywhere against this side.

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We've seen it in multiple previous meetings, especially post-Angel Di Maria: Madrid pass it sideways and clock up pointless possession in front of two banks of four, failing to spot a way through. Other sides have struggled too; Juventus actually gave up in their final Champions League group game, opting to pass it around the back line for the final four minutes, accepting the 0-0 draw.

Levante's Nabil El Zhar bagged a goal against los Colchoneros this weekend in a 3-1 loss, but it was simply a low cross smashed into the box which ricocheted off his shins. "Right place, right time?" No. Luck.

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It's imperative Real Madrid go 4-4-2 here, or at least verge on it. They don't need the security of a third midfielder—particularly a more defensive one than Toni Kroos—and they need Ronaldo to drift into that centre-forward role and try to pressure the centre-backs.

There's also a distinct possibility they're reduced to crosses, meaning getting two strikers in the box (Ronaldo, Benzema) plus two late runners is key to getting any joy out of Diego Godin.

Key Point 2: Aerial Strength vs. Aerial Weakness

No matter the defensive setup or personnel, Real Madrid never look completely comfortable defending balls into the box. When they can outscore teams, that's not really an issue, but against Atletico, it's often their undoing.

Mandzukic and Griezmann have become exceptionally adept at creating space for themselves, for each other and for crosses into the box. Despite the latter standing at around 5'7", he has three headed goals this La Liga season—the same tally as his partner.

Set pieces are a major threat, with Mandzukic mastering the art of the near-post flick and his teammates perfecting their runs into the areas in which he flicks it. When Koke swings the ball in, it could be any one of six players netting; they're all in tune.

Torres comes in so the threat is lessened a little due to a temporary style clash, but Godin could easily assume the role of lead flicker.

Expect Atleti to defend deep and counter at pace via their quicker midfielders. Turan is the ideal player to play vs. Real Madrid, and Simeone is likely resting him up so he can run his socks off, while Griezmann can carry it too. Torres will now be running the channels with pace, giving this attack another dimension.

The tactical blueprint for this duel is well established, and with each edition, we can measure progress, or regression, from both sides.