BEVERLY HILLS, March 02, (THEWILL) – On Sunday, March 7, the second El Derbi Madrileno, the Madrid Derby, of the season will be played at the Estadio Wanda Metropolitano home of league leaders Atletico Madrid, who will seek to avenge what was their first defeat of the season last year in December, when they went down 2-0 to Zinedine Zidane’s side.
That initial match was a clash that came when Real needed to get to grips with their season which had not started as strongly as the defending champions could have wanted with Atletico ahead of them by six points. However, coming from a strong UEFA Champions League home win against German side Borussia Monchengladbach, Real gave Atletico a good fight.
It did not matter that, on paper, Atletico were the stronger side, with their fantastic start to the season, coming as they were from a seven-match streak of victories and an easy win over Austrian Bundesliga club FC Red Bull Salzburg in the UCL, Zidane’s charges took the game to them to stretch Atletico’s loss count in the city derby on Real’s grounds to nine.
With unusual goalscorers, in Brazilian playmaker Casemiro and an extremely rare own-goal by Atletico goalkeeper Jan Oblak, Real made a strong statement in that derby. They closed the gap to three points to punish Diego Simeone’s side for being wasteful in front of goal and failing to find the net and Real looked ready to give their rivals a tough competition for the summit of the League.
However, that did not play out exactly as thought. A set of draws, in away matches at Elche and Osasuna added to lost points the end of January loss to Levante at home to drag Real away from the race to catch up the still progressing Atletico. The rapidly racing League leaders were only recently hampered by home and away draws to Celta Vigo and Levante and a loss in their penultimate match against Levante again.
This meant both Madrid sides had one game extra to act as a setup for the second derby, which, at this crunch point of the season, can go at lengths to determine the fate of the current leaders and the defending champions given that Atletico still is five points ahead of Real whilst still having the advantage of having played one game less.
Yet, if their matches after last weekend of fixtures was an indicator of things to come, it should give Real’s Zidane and their fans cause to be apprehensive. Real prepared for the derby with a Monday clash against fifth-placed side Real Sociedad, while Atletico contended against Villarreal, who are seventh on the table. And, the contrasting fortunes of the Madrid sides could not be more obvious.
For another fixture once again, Real‘s La Liga title defence was dealt another blow as Zidane‘s side drew 1-1 at home to Sociedad. Los Blancos blew an opportunity to close the gap on their rivals leaders ahead of their meeting on a night of very few chances at either end at the Estadio Alfredo di Stefano with Real looking desperately short of any attacking bite.
Sociedad decided to take the initiative. Imanol Alguacil’s visitors took full advantage of the lethargic hosts just before the hour mark and Portu netted an opener with a terrific header. It was not until the 88th minute that Zidane’s side succeeded in snatching a point from the encounter through a deflected Vinicius Junior strike.
For Los Rojiblancos, things are starting to look up at just the right time. A definitive 2-0 victory over Villarreal on Sunday night was the end to a three-match winless run and set them up in a better stead ahead of that potential title decider local derby.
Their dismal showing in Bucharest against Chelsea was a decidedly poor day at the office for Simeone’s charges, who showed nothing of their vast improvements in the domestic campaign this season. It was a masterclass in how not to play an European match as they failed to register a shot on target and did not create any chances of note.
It was not so on Sunday night. The intensity and creativity, that had become their hallmark feature this season, but which vanished in Bucharest, returned, as did the prized three points they had been missing recently as well. Also back was an outstanding defensive display that brought out the best of Oblak between the sticks.
Another plus for Atletico was a return to goal-scoring for striker Joao Felix, whose form has dipped after his return from coronavirus isolation. He came off the bench to add to the scoreline and put in a strong performance, showing his character to come back in difficult moments, as well as his genius while fighting for a starting slot in the squad.
In all, Atletico illustrated once again, their proactive nature and ability to adapt to the demands of any game and any opponent, a characteristic that will play to their advantage in the derby.
These two massively different matches and the results that the Madrid clubs took home with them places an even sharper focus on Real Madrid’s derby trip to Atletico this weekend. An interesting game of football awaits fans with a very significant caution in place for Zidane’s side. An outright win must be the goal as a defeat could potentially spell the end of their title defence.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
