Real Madrid vs Atletico Madrid 30/09/18
30 September 2018
The second season’s La Liga classic between Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid will take place at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu this weekend, with the hosts looking to get their revenge on a 4-2 defeat in the European Super Cup Final.
Although Los Blancos opened La Liga campaign with four consecutive victories, defeating Getafe, Girona, and Leganes, they’ve slowed down a bit in the previous three league games. After a 1-1 draw with Athletic Bilbao, Los Merengues have outplayed Espanyol but failed to live up to expectations in Andalusia, suffering a massive 3-0 loss to Sevilla in midweek. Still, in the Champions League opener against the Italian side AS Roma, Julen Lopetegui’s team demonstrated their best display this year, clinching a 3-0 win, and the former Porto manager hopes to see the similar performance against the city rivals.
Meanwhile, Los Colchoneros, who have had an unexpectedly slow start of the season, recording just one win in the opening four fixtures, are gearing up, as they’ve won their previous three games, including the one against AS Monaco in the Champions League. In the last two La Liga matches, Los Rojiblancos defeated Getafe and Huesca, scoring five goals in the process without conceding once.
Jesus Vallejo, Daniel Carvajal, and Isco won’t be playing for the hosts, while the appearance of Marcelo still hangs in the balance. As for the visitors, Stefan Savic, Jose Maria Gimenez, and Santiago Arias are struggling with injuries, with the Uruguayan defender expected to be fit and ready for the big showdown.