For the first time since Real Madrid edged Atletico Madrid on spot kicks in the Champions League final, the two city rivals will face off Saturday (2:45 p.m., ET, beIn Sports).
A fond farewell: This will be the final La Liga match between the two clubs at the Vicente Calderon Stadium. The 56-year-old stadium is set to be demolished at season’s end, with the club moving to Estadio La Peineta this summer.
“That it will be the last derby at the Calderon makes it exciting and special. It will be strange not to experience it there again, as we have had unforgettable moments there,” Atletico midfielder Gabi said.
Team news: Atletico could be without Antoine Griezmann because of a foot injury, but otherwise have a pretty healthy group of first-team players.
Real Madrid’s Sergio Ramos could return after a knee injury, but Toni Kroos, Casemiro and Alvaro Morata won’t be available because of injuries. Pepe is also an injury concern.
Table watch: Madrid sit atop the La Liga table with an 11-match unbeaten run to start the new campaign. Atletico is six points behind its neighbors in fourth place.
The last time Madrid tasted defeat in the Spanish top flight was in February to Diego Simeone’s Atletico squad.
Fun fact: Cristiano Ronaldo hasn’t scored at the Calderon since March 2014, a span of five matches. His club has drawn two and lost three of those matches.
What to expect: A tight, cautious affair — similar to the Champions League final.
“There is so much mutual respect between both teams that, unless something strange happens, it will be a tense and close game, very similar to what we saw in Milan after Sergio Ramos’ opening goal,” pundit Fran Guillen told ESPN. “Nobody will want to make a mistake, and both sides are aware of what a slip can mean. It is curious that Zidane has not worried about sitting back if he believes it will work — for example, last season at the Camp Nou.”
Prediction: The injury list limits Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane’s options in the midfield a bit, and if Pepe misses out with an injury, keeping things tight at the back becomes all the more challenging.
Simeone’s players always fight like demons, and the fact that this is the last match against Real at the Calderon makes me loathe to pick against them.
Atletico Madrid 1, Real Madrid 0
