Atletico Madrid vs. Real Madrid: Final Madrid Derby Live Stream and Predictions
Atletico Madrid haven't lost to Real Madrid in five meetings across all competitions this season, but desperately need a win when Carlo Ancelotti's squad visit the Vicente Calderon in the final La Liga derby of the campaign.
Diego Simeone's men are seven points behind Los Blancos heading into this one. The Spanish champions also trail Barcelona by three points and cannot afford to give up further ground in their attempt to retain the crown.
Here's a look at the vital information for the upcoming fixture, followed by a set of match predictions:
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Date: Saturday, Feb. 7
Time: 11:30 a.m GMT, 6:30 a.m ET
TV Info: Sky Sports (U.K.)
Live Stream: Sky Go app, beIN SPORTS CONNECT
Match Predictions
Simeone to Return to Old Ways
Atletico have produced many admirable performances against elite sides under Simeone's tutelage. The Argentinian manager is famed for drilling his side to ultra-disciplined levels, employing a hard-working and gutsy style to break down play and move forward quickly when in possession against teams who are expected to keep the ball.
This didn't happen during the recent Copa del Rey collapse against Barcelona, which saw Atletico knocked out of the cup competition 4-2 on aggregate. Simeone's side opted to pass the ball with greater regularity, yet less intensity, pushing extra numbers forward to try to catch Luis Enrique's defence out.
While this certainly challenged Barca for much of the second leg's first half, it left the team exposed to fast counters. This led to simple goals for Neymar, and in turn, frustration which ended Atletico's hopes of progressing. Both Gabi and Mario Suarez were dismissed in an irritating night where the side were more than capable of matching the Blaugrana when they had 11 men on the pitch.
Atletico simply cannot afford to be so open against their city rivals. Real Madrid are blessed with tremendous pace and power in the form of Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale, both of whom are aided by Karim Benzema's terrific hold-up play through the centre.
This trio have posted a combined total of 49 goals and 22 assists in 55 La Liga appearances this season, per WhoScored.com. Atletico must plug the gaps and work intelligently, moving forward without overcommitting. Expansive football is useful against the division's lower teams, but Saturday's game isn't the time nor the place.
Los Blancos' Momentum to Stutter
Real Madrid failed to impress during Wednesday's 2-1 win over Sevilla, a match that saw James Rodriguez and Sergio Ramos ruled out of the derby through injury, per Sky Sports. Marcelo will also miss the fixture after picking up a suspension, so Ancelotti has problems to solve from the outset.
The manager remains upbeat about his defensive replacements, however, per Dermot Corrigan of ESPN FC:
Sevilla actually managed to outshoot Real on their home turf, registering 15 shots to the home side's 14, per WhoScored. Unai Emery's men found space to operate and were unfortunate not to have picked up a point. Corrigan suggested "the game turned out to be not at all as straightforward as expected," and that Real were "hanging on by the end."
The European Champions continue to stutter and stumble after Christmas. Atletico are the team who have best highlighted this, beating their rivals at the Calderon and grabbing a draw away in the Copa del Rey. Granted, Real have still managed five wins from eight matches since returning from the winter break, but they need arguably their best showing since October's Clasico win to overcome their local foes.
Simeone's natural doggedness and ability to eke out a result have often proven debilitating to Real's progress. This is proven by the aggregate score of 7-4 across all meets throughout the season. Atletico know their hopes of grabbing the title will all but end if Real leave with three points, so we can expect an entertaining, fast-paced and extremely close tie.
