{"id":11935,"date":"2025-09-26T08:10:16","date_gmt":"2025-09-26T08:10:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/?p=11935"},"modified":"2025-09-26T08:10:20","modified_gmt":"2025-09-26T08:10:20","slug":"atletico-vs-real-madrid-preview","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wordpress.365scores.com\/news\/atletico-vs-real-madrid-preview","title":{"rendered":"Atletico Madrid vs Real Madrid Preview"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>The Madrid derby always arrives with a bang, but this one feels like a drum roll that has been building for weeks. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/football\/team\/real-madrid-131\">Real Madrid<\/a> have started the league in ruthless mood, perfect through six and purring under Xabi Alonso.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/football\/team\/atletico-madrid-134\">Atl\u00e9tico Madrid<\/a>, a little scuffed after a bumpy opening, just found a late-week jolt of adrenaline from a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/football\/player\/julian-alvarez-61973\">Juli\u00e1n \u00c1lvarez<\/a> hat-trick. Add a packed Metropolitano on Saturday and you have a city\u2019s equilibrium at stake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-rank-math-toc-block\" id=\"rank-math-toc\"><h2>The Madrid Derby will light up the city<\/h2><nav><ul><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#the-table-that-sets-the-tone\">The table that sets the tone<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#a-derby-with-fresh-faces-and-a-few-old-scars\">A derby with fresh faces, and a few old scars<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#the-three-game-1-1-habit\">The three-game 1-1 habit<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#alonsos-madrid-tightened-at-the-seams\">Alonso\u2019s Madrid, tightened at the seams<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#atleticos-search-for-a-settled-shape\">Atl\u00e9tico\u2019s search for a settled shape<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#key-battles-that-will-decide-it\">Key battles that will decide it<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#form-lines-and-why-they-might-lie\">Form lines, and why they might lie<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"the-table-that-sets-the-tone\"><strong>The table that sets the tone<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Real Madrid are top with six wins from six, 14 scored and three conceded. The early-season story has been efficiency without drama, a team that squeezes games until they pop. Atl\u00e9tico sit mid-table, nine points back. That gap sounds cavernous in September. In a derby, it is also tinder. A home win and the title race breathes different air. A home loss and the neighbourhood feels like it is already changing hands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\r\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Alvaro Carreras has won possession 16 times last night vs Levante, the most for a Real Madrid player since Sergio Ramos against Sevilla in January 2019! \u26a1\ufe0f <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/QlJDA1vBxf\">pic.twitter.com\/QlJDA1vBxf<\/a><\/p>\r\n\u2014 365Scores (@365Scores) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/365Scores\/status\/1970790599336026414?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">September 24, 2025<\/a><\/blockquote>\r\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"a-derby-with-fresh-faces-and-a-few-old-scars\"><strong>A derby with fresh faces, and a few old scars<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The squads carrying the colours are familiar, yet they feel renewed. Real built last season\u2019s Champions League crown on star quality and survival instincts, then doubled down. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/football\/player\/kylian-mbappe-39820\">Kylian Mbapp\u00e9<\/a> is now the headliner and, crucially, he looks fully integrated rather than merely plugged in. Thibaut Courtois has his command back, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/football\/player\/jude-bellingham-73000\">Jude Bellingham<\/a> floats between lines like a metronome with swagger (if he&#8217;s fit to play), and the wide menace of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/football\/player\/vinicius-junior-48298\">Vin\u00edcius J\u00fanior<\/a> still stretches the pitch in ways that make opponents nervous before kick-off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Across town, Diego Simeone\u2019s reset has been bold. The club moved for defensive pieces like Robin Le Normand, D\u00e1vid Hancko and Matteo Ruggeri to refit a back line that had grown creaky, added Johnny Cardoso and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/football\/player\/thiago-almada-60282\">Thiago Almada<\/a> to freshen midfield creativity, and handed \u00c1lex Baena a ten shirt. The headline, though, is \u00c1lvarez. He was bought for moments like Wednesday night\u2019s comeback against Rayo Vallecano, the kind of night that turns sceptics into believers and lights a fuse before a derby.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/mbappe-real-madrid-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-11941\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Photo by Javier SORIANO \/ AFP) (Photo by JAVIER SORIANO\/AFP via Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"the-three-game-1-1-habit\"><strong>The three-game 1-1 habit<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Recent league derbies have repeatedly balanced on a pinhead. The last three La Liga meetings finished 1-1, each time with late drama, blocked lanes and just enough punches to leave both sides a little dazed but unbroken. The Champions League tie last season was just as tight, decided on penalties after a 2-2 aggregate.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"alonsos-madrid-tightened-at-the-seams\"><strong>Alonso\u2019s Madrid, tightened at the seams<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Alonso has not only put Real top, he has made them look joined-up. There is a clarity to their off-ball work that was not always present a year ago. The first line presses with purpose, the midfield hunts in sync, and the back line holds with fewer panicked retreats. Mbapp\u00e9 is central to all of it. He has arrived not just as a finisher, but as a catalyst, leading the press at times and tilting entire halves of the field toward the opposition goal. The scoring numbers are predictably gaudy, yet the broader value is how his gravity frees Vin\u00edcius and the creative pocket players around them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Selection-wise, Real\u2019s potential soft spots are in defence. Trent Alexander-Arnold\u2019s hamstring issue removes a distributor from the back, while Antonio R\u00fcdiger\u2019s absence stresses the centre-back rotation. The likely knock-on is Dani Carvajal from the start on the right, \u00c9der Milit\u00e3o as the senior organiser, and Alonso choosing between youth and repurposed full-backs to complete the line. It puts more weight on Aur\u00e9lien Tchouam\u00e9ni to patrol the spaces in front, and more responsibility on Federico Valverde to help the right side survive Atl\u00e9tico\u2019s switches and early diagonals. New signing Franco Mastantuano looks dangerous whilst Jude Bellingham may also make his first start back from shoulder surgery.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\r\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">After netting his first goal vs Levante, how many more do you think Franco Mastantuono is cooking for Real Madrid this season? <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/45n6TFjQNO\">pic.twitter.com\/45n6TFjQNO<\/a><\/p>\r\n\u2014 365Scores (@365Scores) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/365Scores\/status\/1970849874544635932?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">September 24, 2025<\/a><\/blockquote>\r\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"atleticos-search-for-a-settled-shape\"><strong>Atl\u00e9tico\u2019s search for a settled shape<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Simeone has toggled between back-three and back-four looks for months, often landing somewhere in the middle. The wing-back profiles of Nahuel Molina and Javi Gal\u00e1n make the 3-5-2 attractive in big games, with Marcos Llorente as the shuttle runner who can erase a danger or break a line with a single carry. The problem has been cohesion. Injuries have delayed the full integration of the summer signings, and Atl\u00e9tico have played in disjointed bursts, brilliant for twenty minutes then nervy for the next twenty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u00c1lvarez changes the calculation. His movement without the ball creates passing lanes for Koke and Pablo Barrios, his acceleration threatens behind high lines, and his knack for one-touch finishes rewards quick combinations around the box. Pair him with Antoine Griezmann, who still conducts traffic as well as anyone in Spain, and you have a front two that can either stretch Real\u2019s centre-backs or drop short to overload Madrid\u2019s six space, depending on the phase.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"683\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/GettyImages-2179829568-683x1024.jpg\" alt=\"Madrid, Spain - October 23: Antoine Griezmann of Atletico Madrid looks on during the UEFA Champions League 2024\/25 League Phase MD3 match between Atletico de Madrid and LOSC Lille at Riyahd Air Metropolitano on October 23, 2024 in Madrid, Spain. \" class=\"wp-image-7734\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">(Photo by Manu Reino\/DeFodi Images via Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"key-battles-that-will-decide-it\"><strong>Key battles that will decide it<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Mbapp\u00e9 vs Le Normand, plus the cover:<\/strong> Real will look early for Mbapp\u00e9 darting into the left channel, especially when Vin\u00edcius carries wide and draws a second defender. Atl\u00e9tico have brought in Le Normand for his calm in the area and his reading of depth, but the duel does not happen in a vacuum. Hancko\u2019s covering angles and Llorente tracking back from midfield are essential, because when Mbapp\u00e9 cuts into the box on his right foot, the next touch is often a shot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Vin\u00edcius vs Molina:<\/strong> When Real swing the ball quickly, the Brazilian isolates right-backs and asks them to defend yards of grass in reverse. Molina is aggressive stepping out, which can win Atl\u00e9tico field position, but mistiming those steps against Vin\u00edcius turns into fouls and free-kicks in bad places. Watch the first 15 minutes for signals. If Vin\u00edcius wins the initial one-v-ones, Simeone may need to pull a midfielder five yards wider to double.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/GettyImages-1468534071-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 21: Vinicius Junior of Real Madrid celebrates after scoring his side's second goal during the UEFA Champions League round of 16 leg one match between Liverpool FC and Real Madrid at Anfield on February 21, 2023 in Liverpool, England. \" class=\"wp-image-2764\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">(Photo by James Gill &#8211; Danehouse\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The spare man in midfield:<\/strong> If Alonso picks both Valverde and Tchouam\u00e9ni, Real have the legs to hunt Atl\u00e9tico\u2019s first passes and the range to shield their own back line when the host counters. If Bellingham starts, Madrid add late box runs that Atl\u00e9tico have not defended well this month. Simeone\u2019s answer is usually Koke\u2019s positioning and Llorente\u2019s two-way bursts. If Atl\u00e9tico cannot find the spare man when they win the ball, they will be trapped in their half too often.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Set pieces and second balls:<\/strong> Derbies live on edges. Hancko and Le Normand are threats attacking deliveries, but Real\u2019s defensive organisation on dead balls has been cleaner this season. Conversely, Madrid can weaponise Tchouam\u00e9ni and Milit\u00e3o on corners while Atl\u00e9tico focus on boxing out Courtois. The scramble after the first contact is where this game can flip.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"740\" src=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/GettyImages-1469537051-1-1-1024x740.jpg\" alt=\"MADRID, SPAIN - FEBRUARY 25: Alvaro Rodriguez of Real Madrid CF scoring his team's first goal during the LaLiga Santander match between Real Madrid CF and Atletico de Madrid at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu on February 25, 2023 in Madrid, Spain. \" class=\"wp-image-3312\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">(Photo by Diego Souto\/Quality Sport Images\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"form-lines-and-why-they-might-lie\"><strong>Form lines, and why they might lie<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>On paper, Madrid are better in nearly every column right now, and their goal difference suggests a margin that should travel across town intact. The wrinkle is the derby\u2019s personality. Atl\u00e9tico\u2019s crowd can amp the game into a sequence of individual duels, exactly the arena where their bruising midfield and aerial threat can level the playing field. Add the fact that Madrid have defensive absences to juggle, and the match\u2019s script suddenly looks less straightforward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There is also the \u00c1lvarez variable. He was unavailable a week ago for the Champions League opener, then re-emerged with a match-winning hat-trick. If he carries that rhythm into Saturday, he changes the speed of Atl\u00e9tico\u2019s attacks and gives Real\u2019s centre-backs something they have not really faced in the league this season, an elite sprinter who combines as well as he runs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><em>By Nicky Helfgott &#8211; <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/NickyHelfgott1\"><em>NickyHelfgott1 on X (Twitter<\/em>)<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Keep up with all the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\">latest football news<\/a> and La Liga on 365Scores!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"riddle2-wrapper\" style=\"margin: 0 auto; max-width: 100%; width: 640px;\" data-is-qzzr=\"false\" data-rid-id=\"ze59Yhi5\" data-auto-scroll=\"true\" data-is-fixed-height-enabled=\"false\" data-bg=\"#fff\" data-fg=\"#00205b\"><script src=\"https:\/\/www.riddle.com\/embed\/build-embedjs\/embedV2.js\"><\/script><iframe title=\"Who's going to win the Madrid Derby?\" src=\"https:\/\/www.riddle.com\/embed\/a\/ze59Yhi5?lazyImages=false&amp;staticHeight=false\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Madrid derby always arrives with a bang, but this one feels like a drum roll that has been building for weeks. Real Madrid have started the league in ruthless mood, perfect through six and purring under Xabi Alonso. Atl\u00e9tico Madrid, a little scuffed after a bumpy opening, just found a late-week jolt of adrenaline &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":29,"featured_media":11937,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[949,66,282,2868,2869,4016,284,4019,586,1592,188,160,3237,4018,59,4017,1563,969,224,1907],"class_list":["post-11935","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-soccer","tag-antoine-griezmann","tag-atletico-madrid","tag-aurelien-tchouameni","tag-david-hancko","tag-diego-simeone","tag-eder-militao","tag-federico-valverde","tag-franco-mastantuano","tag-jude-bellingham","tag-julian-alvarez","tag-kylian-mbappe","tag-la-liga","tag-madrid-derby","tag-nahuel-molina","tag-real-madrid","tag-robin-le-normand","tag-spanish-football","tag-thibaut-courtois","tag-vinicius-junior","tag-xabi-alonso","article_type-discover","article_type-news","entity_type-competition","entity_type-competitor","entity_type-match","inspiration-365s-articles"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11935","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/29"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11935"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11935\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11945,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11935\/revisions\/11945"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11937"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11935"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11935"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11935"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}