La Liga: Why this Madrid Derby Really Matters

Real Madrid vs Atletico Madrid

It’s always one of the big fixtures in the La Liga season, second only to El Clasico, and when Real Madrid meet Atletico at the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday the ground will be packed to the rafters and the noise will be deafening.

The fans desperately want to win this game to earn bragging rights, and there is a huge amount at stake for both clubs. Carlo Ancelotti’s Real Madrid are eight points behind leaders Barcelona at the top of the table and anything other than a win would be a devastating blow to their title hopes.

The Blaugrana have a very winnable game away to Almeria this weekend and if they stretch the lead to ten points then it could become unassailable. Meanwhile, Atletico Madrid come into the game on the back of a 1-0 victory over Athletic Bilbao and that left them in fourth place, and four points ahead of Real Betis, who are away to Elche this weekend.

Real Madrid’s Champions League tie away to Liverpool on Tuesday saw Los Blancos put down a marker to the rest of Europe, hammering the Reds 5-2, and now they need a spectacular set of La Liga 2023 results to give Barcelona something to think about.

Talking Points

Benzema back with a bang!

A 2-0 win away to Osasuna kept Los Blancos just about in the title hunt but they currently sit eight behind Xavi’s Barcelona and the La Liga 2023 betting odds have dropped Ancelotti’s team out to 8.00 to win the 2022/23 title.

Can Karim Benzema score against Atletico Madrid in La Liga this time? — Real Madrid’s Karim Benzema celebrates scoring their fourth goal during their Champions League match against Liverpool

After a lengthy injury lay-off Karim Benzema sat out the game against Osasuna but he was back for the clash with Liverpool and, as Los Blancos recovered from a two-goal deficit to put on a stunning second-half performance, Benzema scored twice to take the tie away from Jurgen Klopp’s Reds. No away team had scored more than three goals at Anfield in European competition, Real winning 3-0 in 2014, but after Vinicius Junior, with two, and Eder Militao made it 3-2 the stage was set for Benzema. The Frenchman had a bit of luck with his first as it took a deflection off Joe Gomez, but his second was a beauty as he lifted the ball into the top corner with Liverpool defenders on the goal line.

The only setback for Madrid came when David Alaba went off injured, but he can be replaced by the experienced Nacho.

Atletico revert to type

A Champions League spot is the objective for Los Rojiblancos and the way they have ground out results recently tell me they shouldn’t have too much problem. Ten points from four games is a fine return, though four goals is a little less impressive. Three 1-0 wins and a 1-1 draw might not sound the most entertaining of sequences, but there is more than one way to win La Liga games and this is the Simeone way.

Atleti’s defence is among the best in Europe but they will be without one of their center-backs. Stefan Savic will be out after he copped a red card in a recent game against Celta Vigo. This was, incredibly, his third red in this calendar year as he picked up a two-match ban up for fighting with Ferran Torres in Atleti’s January clash with Barcelona, and then was sent off when Atleti met Real Madrid in the Copa del Rey.

So Jose Gimenez and Mario Hermoso will be the partnership in the center of defence for the foreseeable future as Savic has become something of a liability.

With Rodrigo de Paul and the experienced Koke in midfield, the defence has plenty of protection and upfront Atleti have a world-class striker in form. Antoine Griezmann, with seven goals and six assists, has settled back into the Rojiblancos eleven and he fired in a superb cross-shot to win the game against Bilbao.

La Liga

Elche

Real Betis

CLICK HERE

TO SEE UPDATED ODDS

History

Los Blancos have won 41 of the last 74 Madrid derbies over a period of three decades while Atleti have won just 13 and there have been 20 draws, and Simeone’s men have failed to win any of the last eight encounters at the Bernabeu.

Real have beaten their neighbors twice already this season, following up a 2-1 win at the Wanda Metropolitano with the 3-1 Copa del Rey victory just a month ago. Benzema and Vinicius Junior both scored in extra time after Savic had collected his second card of the night.

Recent form is comparable though; Real have the edge with five wins and a defeat over the past six games while Atletico have four wins, one draw and one defeat. And with a home record of seven wins and three draws Los Blancos are very much at home at the Santiago Bernabeu.