Atletico Madrid vs Real Madrid Betting Preview

Date & Time: Saturday, November 19, 7:45 PM GMT

Venue: Estadio Vicente Calderon (Madrid)

Head to head record

Real Madrid vs Atletico Madrid 1-1 (2015/2016 Champions League)
Real Madrid vs Atletico Madrid 0-1 (2015/2016 La Liga)
Atletico Madrid vs Real Madrid 1-1 (2015/2016 La Liga)
Real Madrid vs Atletico Madrid 1-0 (2014/2015 Champions League)
Atletico Madrid vs Real Madrid 0-0 (2014/2015 Champions League)

Atletico Madrid vs Real Madrid prediction

There will be fireworks when Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid face each other in el Derbi Madrileno on Saturday evening. Los Rojiblancos are desperate to melt Real Madrid’s advantage in the La Liga standings to three points, but Diego Simeone’s men will have to be at their sharpest if they are to beat their fierce local rivals on Matchday 12.

“Calderon” – the fortress

Atletico Madrid have been impressive at their Estadio Vicente Calderon this season. Los Rojiblancos are eyeing their fifth consecutive win on home soil and it has to be noted that they scored 17 goals in previous four home games. Nonetheless, following back-to-back away defeats to the likes of Sevilla and Real Sociedad Diego Simeone’s team dropped to fourth place in the La Liga standings and, no doubt, they face a must-win situation in Saturday’s local derby against Real Madrid. Atletico Madrid are six points behind Real Madrid in the standings, but a win over Zinedine Zidane’s troops could see them rejoin the race for the title. Antoine Griezmann failed to impress in the 2-0 defeat to Real Sociedad, but the French attacker is likely to pose a big threat for the opposition defenders in Saturday’s Madrid derby.

Nico Gaitan should recover in time to face Real Madrid, but Augusto Fernandez remain in the recovery room. Aforementioned attacker Antoine Griezmann is fit and he is likely to start the match.

First tough task

As expected, Real Madrid outplayed the likes of Real Betis, Athletic Bilbao, Deportivo Alaves and Leganes in previous four league matches, but Saturday’s game against star-studded Atletico Madrid will be anything but a walk in the park for los Blancos. Zinedine Zidane’s men are just two points clear of Barcelona in the La Liga standings, meaning that they will leave their hearts on the field in order to pick up all three points from the Estadio Vicente Calderon showdown. Cristiano Ronaldo has found his goal-scoring touch of late, meaning that the opposition defenders should have him at bay. Gareth Bale scored a wonder goal in Wales’ 1-1 draw against Serbia and the former Tottenham Hotspur ace will be yet another man to watch in the away team. Real Madrid are on a four-game winning run in La Liga, but they would not be too disappointed with one point from the Madrid derby.

Karim Benzema is a major doubt and he will be assessed on the match day, while Alvaro Morata suffered an injury during the international break and he is definitely out of contention. Sergio Ramos has overcome his injury, but Toni Kroos remains on the sidelines. Pepe is rated doubtful.

Interesting facts

• Atletico scored 2+ goals in previous three home games in all competitions
• Real Madrid are undefeated in previous 23 matches in La Liga
• Los Blancos scored 17 goals in last five away fixtures in the league
• Under 2.5 goals were netted in previous five meetings between the two teams
• Cristiano Ronaldo failed to score in last six encounters against Atletico Madrid

Atletico Madrid vs Real Madrid betting pick

Both Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid are eager to pick up all three points from Saturday’s derby. Los Rojiblancos are a real force to be reckoned with at home and I believe that they will find the net in el Derbi Madrileno. Real Madrid duo Cristiano Ronaldo – Gareth Bale has been in a perfect working order of late and, taking everything into account, both teams should score in the Estadio Vicente Calderon clash.

Pick: Both teams to score

Odds: 4/5