Atletico and Real to play Madrid derby on September 20 — Al Jazeera
Atletico and Real will play the Madrid derby in La Liga on September 20 at the Metropolitano Stadium in Madrid, Spain. Kickoff is scheduled for 16:15 local time. Before the match, Real trail unbeaten Barcelona by three points, while Atletico are in third place, Al Jazeera English reports.
Teams' form ahead of the derby
Diego Simeone's team enter the match after two convincing victories. Atletico beat Real Sociedad 3-0 and then thrashed Osasuna 4-0. Jonathan David, Lee Kang-in, Robin Le Normand and Alex Baena scored against Osasuna. Simeone noted that his team controlled the first half, although it did not convert its chances, and was more effective after the break.
Real beat Elche 3-2 in the previous round despite losing a two-goal lead. An own goal by Matias Dituro and a goal from Kylian Mbappe gave the Madrid side a 2-0 lead, but Abiel Osorio and Fer Nino levelled the score. Carlos Espi scored the winning goal in the 91st minute. Real coach Jose Mourinho expressed concern that his team was unable to retain control of the game in the second half.
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Squad situation and forecast
Atletico have doubts over the participation of Julian Alvarez, Pablo Barrios and Alexander Sorloth, who have muscle problems. If Alvarez does not start, Jonathan David is likely to play in attack. Real will be without Eder Militao, Rodrygo and Ferland Mendy due to injuries.
According to the Opta supercomputer, Real are the favourites for the derby, with a 46.6% probability of winning. Atletico's chances are estimated at 28.3%, while the probability of a draw is 25.1%. The rivals have played 243 head-to-head matches overall: Real won 125 of them, Atletico won 60, and another 58 ended in draws.
