Real Madrid vs. Atletico Madrid: A Battle for Supremacy in La Liga

La Liga leaders Atletico Madrid will put their unbeaten record on the line when they head to the Bernebeu to face their local rivals on Saturday.

Diego Simeone’s men have made an impressive start to the season. They have eight wins, two draws and zero defeats from 10 games so far, leaving them six points clear of defending champions Real Madrid at the top of the table.

Los Blancos have performed below expectations thus far, but they should be buoyed by an emphatic Champions League victory over Borussia Monchengladbach on Wednesday.

Atletico Madrid also eased through to the knockout stage of the Champions League by securing a 2-0 win against Salzburg, and now both teams can concentrate on domestic matters.

Tight Clashes

Both managers will be desperate to secure victory, but these teams have a habit of cancelling one another out.

Seven of the last nine Madrid derbies have ended all-square. These teams drew five times in a row between April 2017 and September 2018.

Since then we have seen two narrow 1-0 wins for Real Madrid and two more draws when these teams have clashed.

Atletico manager Diego Simeone operates on a much smaller budget than Real Madrid’s Zinedine Zidane, but he has a knack of setting his teams up to frustrate the Galacticos.

A Rock Solid Defence

Atletico’s defence is looking as solid as ever right now. They have kept three clean sheets in a row in La Liga, including a 1-0 victory over Barcelona.

They have actually conceded only two goals in 10 league matches so far, which is an outrageous record.

Real Madrid are cursed with a somewhat leaky defence, but they have the attacking firepower to cause Atletico Madrid problems in this game.

Karim Benzema is one fire right now, and Zidane’s men looked very slick in their midweek win. Both teams would probably be happy with a draw in this one, and there is a great deal of value available on that outcome.

Pick: Draw

Stake: One unit