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GETAFE, SPAIN - JANUARY 18:  Gareth Bale of Real Madrid celebrates with Cristiano Ronaldo after scoring his team's 2nd goal during the La Liga match between Getafe CF and Real Madrid CF at Coliseum Alfonso Perez stadium on January 18, 2015 in Getafe, Spain.  (Photo by Denis Doyle/Getty Images)
GETAFE, SPAIN - JANUARY 18: Gareth Bale of Real Madrid celebrates with Cristiano Ronaldo after scoring his team's 2nd goal during the La Liga match between Getafe CF and Real Madrid CF at Coliseum Alfonso Perez stadium on January 18, 2015 in Getafe, Spain. (Photo by Denis Doyle/Getty Images)Denis Doyle/Getty Images

Atletico Madrid vs. Real Madrid: Team News, Preview, Live Stream and TV Info

Sam TigheFeb 5, 2015

This season's fourth instalment of the famous Madrid derby is upon us as Diego Simeone's Atletico Madrid ready themselves for the visit of Carlo Ancelotti's Real Madrid.

Los Blancos are yet to beat Atleti this season and find it particularly tough going at the Vicente Calderon, where the home side have worked out the perfect formula to stifle Los Galacticos' attacking weapons.

A victory for Simeone here represents the perfect chance for his side—or Barcelona, sitting in second—to gain valuable ground on the league leaders.

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Date: Saturday, February 7

Time: 3:00 p.m. GMT/10:00 a.m. ET

Venue: Vicente Calderon, Madrid

TV Info: beIN Sports (U.S. only)

Live Stream: beIN Sports CONNECT (U.S. only)

Form Guide (last five results of both teams)

Atletico MadridReal Madrid
W (3-1) vs. EibarW (2-1) vs. Sevilla
L (2-3) vs. BarcelonaW (4-1) vs. Real Sociedad
W (3-1) vs. Rayo VallecanoW (2-1) vs. Cordoba
L (0-1) vs. BarcelonaW (3-0) vs. Getafe
W (2-0) vs. GranadaD (2-2) vs. Atletico Madrid

Los Blancos opened up a seven-point gap over Atleti in La Liga on Wednesday evening as they beat Sevilla 2-1, winning their fifth match in a row in Liga play. Atletico have sustained two losses in their past five games in all competitions, but both have been against Barca—the form team in Europe.



Predicted Formations

Atletico Madrid will resume in their 4-4-2, with Mario Mandzukic the favourite to lead the line just ahead of Antoine Griezmann, and Fernando Torres on the bench. Tiago, Arda Turan and Juanfran all trained ahead of the fixture and should slot into the starting XI, though Simeone has depth to call upon if not.

Real's defence will be on red alert should Turan start: The Turk is key to moving the ball quickly in transitions.

Per SkySports.com, James Rodriguez will miss two months of action after breaking his metatarsal in the 2-1 win over Sevilla on Wednesday evening. With Luka Modric already missing, it's a bitter blow for Los Blancos.

When Ancelotti has been missing a key midfield figure this season he has tended to revert from 4-3-3 to 4-4-2, placing Cristiano Ronaldo (newly reinstated post-suspension) up front alongside Karim Benzema and pushing Isco out to a narrow left-midfield position.

It may be the best way to tackle Atleti anyway, given how many players they will commit to defence.

Players to Watch

Atletico Madrid: Griezmann

MADRID, SPAIN - JANUARY 24:  Antoine Griezmann of Club Atletico de Madrid reacts during the La Liga match between Club Atletico de Madrid and Rayo Vallecano de Madrid   at Vicente Calderon Stadium on January 24, 2015 in Madrid, Spain.  (Photo by Denis Doy

Atleti will plant two banks of four in front of goal and defend, and that will tempt Real to commit numbers forward and try to pick the lock. As the game stretches and Real grow more and more desperate, Griezmann becomes more and more of a danger.

He floats around in a faux-No. 10 role, just off Mandzukic, and presses the likes of Toni Kroos on the ball. He laps up mistakes, harasses ball-players and pounces on misplaced passes.

We've seen Griezmann nip in and create turnovers high up against Real in the past, and his brief will be exactly the same. Raphael Varane and Pepe need to be exceptionally sharp.

Real Madrid: Isco 

MADRID, SPAIN - NOVEMBER 04: Isco of Real Madrid CF on the ball during the UEFA Champions League Group B match between Real Madrid CF and Liverpool FC at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu on November 4, 2014 in Madrid, Spain.  (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Imag

Ancelotti will be planning for this match with a furrowed brow. The two teams have had no shortage of clashes this season, and Real are yet to fumble their way to a victory.

Despite Ronaldo's return to the XI, the key player here is Isco. He has the creativity, the agility and, most importantly, that Angel Di Maria-esque ability to break between the lines and cause missed tackles.

Los Colchoneros beat you aerially when you cross, block your shots, swallow space and ward off overlapping full-backs. There's only truly one type of player who can break them down, and Isco is the answer—if there is one—for Ancelotti.



Key Battle: Holding the Centre, Gabi vs. the World

MADRID, SPAIN - SEPTEMBER 13:  Toni Kroos of Real Madrid battles for the ball against Gabi Fernandez of A tletico de Madrid during the La Liga match between Real Madrid and Atletico de Madrid at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu on September 13, 2014 in Madrid, S

Atletico's game plan, be it against Cordoba or Real Madrid, is to control the middle of the park. That's not necessarily anything to do with possession; it's more numerically and territorially based.

It all hinges on Gabi, the leader in the middle of the pitch and the decider of where to set the line, when to push forward and when to shrink. Isco, Kroos and Co. will attempt to tempt him out of position all day to create room for a pass into Benzema, and if they do, Real have a route to goal.

Gabi is the lynchpin of Simeone's system, and if he gets duped, Atleti lose. Fortunately, he's yet to put a foot wrong this season against Los Blancos.



Odds

Real Madrid +125, Draw +200, Atletico Madrid +240 (via Odds Shark)

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