Real Madrid vs Atletico Madrid: Derby clash could define La Liga title race
This win will ensure Real stay close to Barcelona and even secure a place at the front of the table should Hansi Flick’s side stumble against Rayo Vallecano earlier the same day. However, Real’s defeat combined with Barcelona’s win will put Barcelona in a strong position to successfully defend their crown.
Real, Atletico and Barcelona are feeling good after eliminating their English rivals in the Champions League round of 16 this week. Real will want to take revenge for Atletico’s 5-2 defeat in the first league match played at the Metropolitano Stadium in September.
This result started the decline of then coach Xabi Alonso. Real suffered a few worse losses under Alvaro Arbeloa, but Alonso’s replacement gained a lot of momentum after his side beat Manchester City 5-1 on aggregate to reach the Champions League quarter-finals.
Atletico is third in La Liga, 13 points behind Barcelona. Atletico’s 7-5 aggregate victory over Tottenham in the Champions League set them up for a European quarter-final with Barcelona next month. Kylian Mbappe played the last 20 minutes against City after missing several games with a knee injury. Arbeloa said on Saturday he was excited to have Mbappe back.
“I told you 100% it would be the day Mbappe would come back,” Arbeloa told reporters. “In the minutes we saw him in Manchester, with two or three bursts of tempo, each of these movements showed that he was in great form and was concerned, above all, with his own emotions.
