Why Sergio Ramos vs. Antoine Griezmann Is Key Battle in Real Madrid vs. Atletico

Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid meet on Saturday at the Santiago Bernabeu in the latest edition of El Derbi Madrileno that's critical for both sides. 

Trailing Barcelona in La Liga by nine and eights points, respectively, with only 13 rounds remaining, the two capital outfits will likely need a perfect run from here until the end of the season if they are to challenge the Catalans for the league title. 

As such, Saturday's loser will essentially have a line drawn through their name; in the event of a draw, both of them probably will. 

The stakes are high, then, even if this game has a slight playing-only-for-places whiff about it. 

For Real Madrid, this capital battle is one that's grown increasingly uncomfortable in recent years. After going undefeated against Atletico across 25 games and 14 years between 1999 and 2013, Real have seen the derby flipped on its head. Since breaking the hex in the 2013 Copa del Rey final, Atleti have met their glamorous cross-city rivals on 14 occasions. The head-to-head score is 5-4 in favour of Diego Simeone's men, with five draws. 

Last season alone it was 4-1, with three draws. 

Key to Atleti's success against Real has been their ability to stifle the Bernabeu outfit. Sitting tight and deep in their robust 4-4-2, Los Colchoneros are adept at closing space, shutting off passing angles, funnelling Real's forwards into clusters of defenders and disrupting the game's flow. 

The recent possession figures for these teams in clashes at the Bernabeu reflect Atleti's approach: 

Date	Result	RMA Poss.	ATM Poss.
Apr. 22, 2015	1-0	60.0%	40.0%
Jan. 15, 2015	2-2	60.9%	39.1%
Sep. 13, 2014	1-2	61.1%	38.9%
Aug. 19, 2014	1-1	66.7%	33.3%

Admittedly, it is true that the emphasis has shifted somewhat at Atletico this season. Compared to previous campaigns, 2015-16 has seen the men from the Vicente Calderon attempt to adopt a slightly more expressive style. 

In midfield, young playmakers Koke and Saul Niguez have enjoyed greater prominence; Gabi is having a significantly stronger season than he did last; up front, Yannick Carrasco and Luciano Vietto have made the dynamic sharper and more technical. 

When these sides met at the Calderon earlier this season, the possession was almost a 50-50 split, according to WhoScored.com, as Simeone's side really went for Real. 

Since, however, Real have changed. 

Back then under Rafa Benitez, Los Blancos were a transitional side. Whereas under Carlo Ancelotti they'd been highly technical thanks to a playmaker-heavy system, Benitez was trying to instil something different. He wanted Real to be more powerful, more balanced, less vulnerable to physicality and able to lock down leads by absorbing pressure—exactly what Real attempted to do in the second half of this season's first meeting when Atleti came roaring back into the contest. 

Now, however, Real have performed a 180-degree turn. Under Zinedine Zidane, the capital's traditional powerhouse has returned largely to the Ancelotti method: Toni Kroos in the middle, Luka Modric and another playmaker either side of him, and three star forwards up front. 

Thus, Zidane vs. Simeone will look a lot like Ancelotti vs. Simeone: possession-dominance vs. counter-attacking. 

And here's where the battle between Sergio Ramos and Antoine Griezmann becomes pivotal. 

JAVIER SORIANO/Getty Images

In a number of the recent meetings between these sides, Griezmann has been highly influential even if his contribution on the scoreboard has been minimal.

When Atleti drew 2-2 with Real at the Bernabeu to knock their rivals out of last season's Copa del Rey, the Frenchman's intense, high-up pressure on Ramos and Pepe was the catalyst for both of Fernando Torres' goals.

A month later when Atleti destroyed Real 4-0 at the Calderon, Griezmann was utterly relentless in his pressing, his chasing of seemingly lost causes and his hunting of Raphael Varane and Nacho. Though he only grabbed one of his team's four goals that afternoon, it was his most complete performance in an Atletico shirt to that point. 

Then when the team's met earlier this season, it was Griezmann's forceful effort to get across both Ramos and Varane that allowed Vietto to turn home Jackson Martinez's cross.  

Additionally, Ramos has shown on numerous occasions this season that he's vulnerable when pressed and chased. Atletico demonstrated that earlier in the season. So did Celta Vigo, Barcelona and Villarreal. Just last week, Javi Gracia's determined Malaga was the latest to do so, the Andalusians setting the tone in the opening minute by chasing Ramos and forcing his early back pass to Keylor Navas. 

As such, it will be these sort of moments that will likely decide Saturday's Madrid derby. Deep, tight and organised, Atleti will concede the flanks, luring Real's wingers and full-backs into wide attacking positions, meaning that Simeone's men will have often have control of the central channel when the ball is won or when it's pushed back to Real's high central defenders. 

Griezmann will prey on such moments, waiting to press and then attack space as he's done so regularly in recent clashes with Real Madrid. 

The battle between him and Ramos will be key.