MADRID: A seventh Madrid derby of the year tops the bill as Spain's four Champions League representatives face off on Saturday (Sep 13) ahead of the kick-off of their group stage campaigns in midweek.
Real Madrid and La Liga champions Atletico meet again at the Santiago Bernabeu for the third time already this season with Atletico having emerged victorious over two legs in the Spanish Super Cup last month.
Los Blancos' victory over Atletico in the Champions League final in Lisbon meant both teams from the capital ended the season happy. But Atletico boss Diego Simeone claimed his side's triumph in breaking Real and Barca's hegemony of the Spanish title was the greater achievement.
"For me to win the league is as good as it gets because it is what the fans live day-by-day," Simeone told Argentine newspaper Clarin. "A league is 38 games competing against two enormously powerful teams. To maintain their rhythm is almost impossible and we managed to do it."
Atletico's 1-0 win at the Bernabeu 12 months ago proved the launching pad to their title run and they could move four points clear of Real should they repeat the feat this weekend.
Carlo Ancelotti's men endured a horror show in San Sebastian just before the international break as they let a 2-0 lead slip to lose 4-2 to Real Sociedad. Madrid were without the injured Cristiano Ronaldo due to his ongoing knee problems for that defeat, but he is hopeful of returning to face Atletico having also sat out Portugal's shock 1-0 reverse to Albania.
Real's other injury concern surrounds right-back Dani Carvajal, who had to pull out of Spain's 5-1 thrashing of Macedonia due to a hamstring problem. The 22-year-old is not expected to recover in time and, according to Spanish press reports, Ancelotti will switch one of centre-backs Raphael Varane or Sergio Ramos out to the flank to help combat Atletico's height advantage at set-pieces.
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