First-place Atletico Madrid head across town to take on fourth-place Real Madrid Saturday in La Liga for the Madrid derby. Atleti are in first place and are the only undefeated team in the league with an 8-2-0 record, meanwhile Real are 6-2-3 and six points back of their city rival. Both teams have been fairly consistent in front of goal, but where they differ is in defense. Real have conceded 12 goals in 11 games, while in 10 games Atleti have conceded only twice.
Here's how you can watch the match and what to know:
Viewing information
- Date: Saturday, Dec. 12
- Time: 3 p.m. ET
- Location: Estadio Alfredo di Stefano
- TV: beIN Sports
- Live stream: fuboTV (Try for free)
- Odds: Real Madrid +150; Draw +225; Atleti +190 (via William Hill Sportsbook)
Storylines
Real Madrid: A hectic few weeks in the Champions League may result in a need for Zinedine Zidane to rotate some of his players. They've been accumulating a lot of minutes in some important matches, and while Real do have some depth, the lack of consistent options in attack off the bench is concerning. They will face a ton of pressure from Diego Simeone's team, and they have to remain composed in the middle and get the ball out wide. It's a tricky match but one they'll expect to win.
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Atleti: While they haven't been dominating in the Champions League, they are in tremendous form in La Liga with five straight wins. That defense is back to its usual dominance and the way in which they have scored has also been impressive, getting timely strikes to win close games late. But the club has scored just four goals in its last three games in the league, which is a tad alarming considering they faced some pretty poor defenses. Against Real, they will look to hold on to the ball, press and try and play low balls into the box to guys like Joao Felix. If the space is there for a speedy player to receive the ball, face goal and run at it, they have the technical ability to find some great opportunities and win this one rather convincingly.
Prediction
Both teams come out hot, get a goal in the first half and tighten up in defense in the second half, with each taking a point. Pick: Real Madrid 1, Atletico 1.
