Zinedine Zidane’s side lead La Liga by two points from fierce rivals Barcelona and also have a game in hand after their fixture away to Celta Vigo was postponed in February.
Madrid meet Bayern in the CL quarter-finals
Real beat Leganes 4-2 on Wednesday, with Atletico cementing their third place over Sevilla by overcoming Real Sociedad with a 1-0 win on Tuesday. Diego Simeone’s side are currently 10 points behind Real, having played one more match than Los Blancos.
REAL MADRID INJURIES
Raphael Varane returned to action last weekend, but lasted just 10 minutes in the win over Alaves before picking up another injury and the France defender is now set to be sidelined for a key month of action. He’ll miss the derby against Atletico, plus the Clasico clash at home to Barcelona and the double header versus Bayern Munich in the Champions League.
However, Zidane has no other major injury concerns for the derby on Saturday.
REAL MADRID SUSPENSIONS
Cristiano Ronaldo and Dani Carvajal were both rested in the 4-2 win at Leganes on Wednesday in order to avoid a yellow card that would have seen them suspended for the derby, so Zidane has no players banned for the fixture against Atletico.
REAL MADRID POTENTIAL STARTING LINE-UP
With the exception of the injured Varane, Zidane has a full-strength squad availabe for the derby against Atletico and the Frenchman will pick a strong side for the visit of the Rojiblancos.
Keylor vows to silence Madrid jeers
Zidane, whose only home defeat as Real coach came against Atleti last February, will welcome back Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema after all three were left out on Wednesday at Leganes.
Dani Carvajal, like Ronaldo, was left out of that match to avoid incurring a suspension for the derby and the right-back will also be back in the side on Saturday.
ATLETICO TEAM NEWS
Atletico Madrid are back in third place after a fantastic run of results in recent weeks and the Rojiblancos could even be dark horses for the title if they beat Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday.
Diego Simeone’s side have won their previous three league visits to Real - the last of which was at the end of February 2016. No other side in the history of La Liga has won three times in a row at the Bernabeu.
Wenger gives Alexis future update
Striker Kevin Gameiro looks set to miss out after lasting just 10 minutes in training on Friday before limping out, while Sime Vrsaljko, Tiago Mendes and Augusto Fernandez are all sidelined - along with subsistute goalkeeper Miguel Angel Moya.
BEST OPTA MATCH FACTS
Real Madrid have beaten Atletico Madrid on more occasions than any other team in La Liga history (86). Real Madrid have found the net in 50 consecutive matches in all competitions, the best run ever for a La Liga side. Atletico Madrid are the only side in La Liga history to have won at the Santiago Bernabeu on three consecutive trips. Real Madrid have scored in 41 consecutive games in La Liga, their best ever run in the competition. In fact, Zidane’s side haven’t been shut out in a game in La Liga since Atletico’s last visit to Bernabeu - 0-1 on February 27th last year. Cristiano Ronaldo has scored more goals against Atletico under Diego Simeone than any other player (14 in all competitions). Antoine Griezmann has scored in two of his last three games in La Liga at the Santiago Bernabeu (once for Atletico, once for Real Sociedad).
UK TV COVERAGE & KICK-OFF TIME
Real Madrid against Atletico kicks off at 15:15 UK time on Saturday but, due to broadcasting laws in the the country, it cannot be shown live. However, the match will be transmitted later on, starting at 17:30 UK time on Sky Sports 5.
title: “Real Madrid Team News Injuries Suspensions And Line Up Vs Atletico” ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-16” author: “Dolores Rank”
The Catalans are in action in Madrid earlier in the day at Leganes, before Real take on Atletico at the Wanda Metropolitano.
Real Madrid 5/4 to beat Atletico
Zinedine Zidane’s side are already eight points adrift of their Clasico rivals in third place, having lost at home to Betis and away to Girona, as well as failing to beat both Levante and Valencia at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Here, Goal takes a look at everything you need to know ahead of the derby clash…
REAL MADRID INJURIES
Gareth Bale is still out with a hamstring problem and will play no part against Atletico.
Keylor Navas is back in training, but not yet ready to return, while Mateo Kovacic also needs more time to recover from his injury.
Better news sees Dani Carvajal available again after a heart problem, while Luka Modric is also in contention despite being described by Zidane as “off colour” in training on Thursday.
REAL MADRID SUSPENSIONS
Real Madrid have had a few suspensions already this season, with Cristiano Ronaldo, Marcelo and Sergio Ramos all missing matches in La Liga, but Zidane has no players banned for the game against Atletico.
REAL MADRID POTENTIAL STARTING LINE-UP
With Navas set to miss out again, Kiko Casilla will continue in goal for Real Madrid against Atletico.
Dani Carvajal looks set to return to the starting line-up for the champions at right-back, with Dani Ceballos (who scored a brilliant hat-trick for Spain’s Under-21 side against Slovakia on Tuesday) a possible inclusion in midfield if Zidane decides Modric is not 100 per cent fit.
Further forward, Ronaldo is set to partner Karim Benzema in attack, with Isco just behind those two.
ATLETICO TEAM NEWS
Atletico, like Real Madrid, have picked up 23 points from their opening 11 matches in La Liga so far this season.
Diego Simeone’s side are on the verge of elimination in the Champions League, but remain unbeaten in the Primera Division with six wins and five draws.
The Argentine has a fully fit squad at his disposal for the derby and he will hope striker Antoine Griezmann can return to form after some disappointing displays of late.
With Diego Costa unable to feature for Atleti until January due to the club’s transfer ban, Angel Correa is in line for a start alongside Griezmann on Saturday.
BEST OPTA MATCH FACTS
This will be the 161st La Liga derby between Atletico and Real Madrid. Los Blancos have won over half of the fixtures so far, with 86 victories. Atletico have only lost one of their last eight league derbies against Real Madrid (four wins, three draws), although that was a 3-0 defeat in the sides’ last Liga meeting at the Vicente Calderon. This will be the first derby between Atletico and Real Madrid at the Wanda Metropolitano. Atletico failed to win their first league derby at both the Vicente Calderon (2-2 in 1967) and at the old Metropolitano (a 3-0 loss in 1929). Atletico have conceded 83% of their goals from headers in La Liga this season (five out of six), the highest percentage of any team. Cristiano Ronaldo has scored six goals in his last four games against Atletico in all competitions. Zinedine Zidane has lost more games against Atletico than against any other side as Real Madrid manager in all competitions (two), but he did win the first of his seven titles against them (the 2016 Champions League final).
TV COVERAGE & KICK-OFF TIME
Atletico versus Real Madrid kicks off at 20:45 local time at the Wanda Metropolitano on Saturday and will be broadcast live from 19:40 UK time on Sky Sports Football.
