This Saturday's derby between Real Madrid and Atlético in the stadium Alfredo di Stéfano, from 9:00 p.m. (MovistarLaLiga) will be marked by five great duels:
1. Zidane-Simeone
The duel of the benches is always attractive between two successful coaches who know each other perfectly and who seek a space for tactical surprise in each confrontation. The last two games on the board were taken by Zidane, when he put all his means in the Spanish Super Cup or in the League, at halftime, he revolutionized his team to bet on the speed of Vinicius and Lucas Vázquez to change course. The Frenchman always thought more of his team than of the rival. In the virtues to exploit that in the rojiblancos strong points to which to put a brake.
Simeone on more than one occasion modified his idea by the rival's system, although also from his deep analysis, he found the areas to influence and damage the Madrid defense to get great results from the Santiago Bernabéu. He appears through the derby with the opportunity to send the message of change that has turned his team into the firm candidate for the title, taking advantage of the irregularity of Real Madrid and Barcelona. With players to take a step forward and the arrival of a ‘matador’ like Luis Suárez at the top, Atlético de Madrid, his team has a new identity. More possession and a more offensive look. Zidane arrived at the meeting at the lowest moment of his two stages on the Madrid bench. The triumphs in Seville and against Gladbach vindicate him. While to ‘Cholo’ nobody disputes him. He returned the greatness lost for years to the team and has it thrown towards the goal.
2. Courtois-Oblak
The Belgian finished last league Thibaut Courtois with the hegemony of the Slovenian Jan Oblak as goalkeeper with the fewest goals in LaLiga Santander, a title that the Atlético goalkeeper had won on five occasions. They are two pieces as safe as regular. The madridista benefited from the solid image of Real Madrid after confinement. He finished last league with just 20 goals in 34 games he played. It was a personal triumph, managing to recover the best of his images in Spanish football after moments of criticism and doubt.
Oblak was hurt by Atlético's irregularity in the final stretch of the championship and now he is once again showing his firmness in goal. He has left his clean sheet in eight of the ten games played in the League, a coefficient from another galaxy and unattainable for any rival. He links four games without conceding a single goal, even measuring himself against Barcelona before facing the Alfredo di Stéfano exam. Real Madrid is the team that he faced the most in his career, up to 19 official derbies and only 20 conceded goals. Penalties like that nailed thorn that he wants to remove while he is launched towards the League and a new ‘Zamora’.
3. Sergio Ramos-Mario Hermoso
Will become Sergio Ramos the king of the derby, another record for its long history. He will dispute the number 43 with the uncertainty of having his future up in the air, waiting for the club's call to negotiate its continuity and half a month before being free to accept the millionaire proposal of any interested team. In the field there are no doubts with him or with his performance. He is the captain, the great leader of the dressing room and the benchmark on any pitch. Real Madrid missed him during his muscle injury and with his return defensive stability returned, leaving Gladbach to zero in a European ‘final’ that could cause serious consequences.
For Mario Hermoso it will be his first derby, the return to what was his home, the Alfredo di Stéfano stadium, after training in the quarry, passing through the Real Madrid subsidiary and getting to debut with the first team. He faces it with new prominence, after winning to become a permanent fixture for Diego Simeone, something difficult to achieve due to his high demands. Whether as a central defender or as a left back, he has shown consistency and has exploited his best qualities. To date they have faced Real Madrid three times, all with defeat and all in the ranks of Espanyol. In his first rojiblanco course he did not have the prominence that he now resists letting go. He arrives at the appointment of scoring a key goal against Salzburg, which put an end to the bad moments in a game that he decided, go to the second round of ‘Champions’.
4. Modric-Joao Félix
Probably the two footballers with higher technical skills than those who will be on the pitch. Players different from the rest, trained to throw their respective teams behind their backs and act as leaders with the ball. One of the last derbies for Modric; the opportunity to shine for the first time to Joao after two unsuccessful attempts. Now he is another, responding to the high expectations and being a rojiblanco benchmark.
It seems that the years do not pass for the Croatian. As soon as Luka has had continuity due to Fede Valverde's injury, he has shown his influence in the game. His exhibition against Borussia Mönchengladbach is a message to the directors' doubt in granting him the desire to retire at Real Madrid. For Joao Félix the derby is a revalidation after missing the last one due to injury. The desire to be the protagonist of a duel that confirms him as the great star of LaLiga Santander.
5. Benzema-Luis Suárez
Real Madrid needs the scoring face of Benzema to fight for everything. He lacks a goal from the goodbye by Cristiano Ronaldo and only the French striker stepped forward to try to prevent Zidane's team from overly accusing the exorbitant number of goals contributed by the Portuguese star. In the derby his numbers are poor, despite deciding the last precedent. Only five goals in 34 official matches played against Atlético de Madrid
, but Karim It is much more than a goal for the Madrid team. The player who makes sense of the offensive game. He comes after breaking a streak of a month without scoring, with an injury on average, and retaliated with a double on the day he was supposed to appear to give the lead and pass to the second round of the Champions League.
Atlético de Madrid presents a new point of reference. From Álvaro Morata to the forcefulness of Luis Suárez,
a footballer who increases the rojiblanca punch. He arrives at his first Madrid derby after leaving angry gestures after being replaced, installed in nonconformity for wanting more after feeling guilty of a coronavirus contagion with his team that cut off his good adaptation. He started the launched course, with six goals in eight games, and now he seeks to recover the punch on one of those designated days. He scored eleven goals against Real Madrid playing for Barcelona in 15 clashes.