Zinedine Zidane’s side have moved to the top of La Liga but face their biggest challenge of the season in the derby
Atletico Madrid play host to Real Madrid at the Estadio Wanda Metropolitano on Saturday in the latest chapter of one of sport’s great rivalries.
Despite a concerning start to the season, Zinedine Zidane’s Real side find themselves at the summit of the Primera Division, having strung together three successive victories, the latest of which came against Osasuna on Wednesday.
Atleti, meanwhile, got back to winning ways in midweek as they defeated Real Mallorca 2-0, having earned only a single point in their previous two outings.
| Game | Atletico Madrid vs Real Madrid |
| Date | Saturday, September 28 |
| Time | 8:00pm BST / 3:00pm ET |
| Stream (US) | fubo TV (7-day free trial) |
In the United States (US), the game can be watched live and on-demand with fuboTV (7-day free trial) .
New users can sign up for a free seven-day trial of the live sports streaming service, which can be accessed via iOS, Android, Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV, Roku and Apple TV as well as on a web browser.
| US TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| beIN Sports / beIN Sports en Espanol | fubo TV (7-day free trial) |
The match will be available to watch live on Premier Sports 1. It can be streamed via Premier Player.
| UK TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| Premier Sports 1 | Premier Player |
| Position | Atletico Madrid squad |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Oblak, Adan |
| Defenders | Gimenez, Savic, Hermoso, Filipe, Lodi, Trippier, Arias |
| Midfielders | Thomas, Llorente, Niguez, Herrera, Koke, Lemar |
| Forwards | Vitolo, Correa, Joao Felix, Costa, Saponijic |
Atletico Madrid starting XI: Oblak; Trippier, Savic, Gimenez, Lodi; Saul, Partey, Koke, Vitolo; Felix, Costa
| Position | Real Madrid squad |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Courtois, Areola, Altube |
| Defenders | Ramos, Varane, Carvajal, Militao, Nacho, Mendy |
| Midfielders | Kroos, Casemiro, Rodriguez, Valverde, Modric, Isco |
| Forwards | Benzema, Jovic, Hazard, Vinicius, Bale, L. Vazquez |
Real Madrid starting XI: Courtois; Carvajal, Varane, Ramos, Nacho; Valverde, Casemiro, Kroos; Bale, Benzema, Hazard.
Atletico Madrid are 7/5 favourites to win this game at bet365 . Real Madrid are 2/1 to continue their domestic winning streak, with a draw 23/10.
Click here to see all of bet365’s offers for the game, including goalscoring markets, correct score predictions and more.
Click Here: Cardiff Blues Store
All eyes will be on the Wanda Metropolitano on Saturday, with Atletico Madrid’s hosting of Real Madrid the biggest game of the Primera Division season to date.
None of La Liga’s giants have started the season at the tempo they would have wished, with even league leaders Real having had to ride out a crisis early in the campaign as they played out a couple of disappointing draws and were crushed away to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League.
They have since rallied, moving to the top of the table, with their defence the unexpected heroes of that tale. In successive games they have not faced a single shot on target – the first time they have achieved this feat in a decade.
Zidane, who has already experienced both the highs and lows of coaching the club barely a month into the new season, is understandably not getting carried away.
“Being leaders means nothing,” he said after watching Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo fire them to victory against Osasuna. “What matters is that we keep going on this road. We have to believe in what we do but we’ll have complicated times.”
After wins over Sevilla and Osasuna, they face what will inevitably be a far tougher challenge against their neighbours on Saturday.
It is a date that new Galactico Eden Hazard is especially looking forward to.
“If you play football, you know the feelings and passion that these matches bring, especially as it’s two teams from the same city. I want to score, win and make the fans happy,” he said in a promotional video by Mahou. “The key to winning? Mentality, you need to want it more.”
Hazard also indicated that he was looking forward to seeing Diego Costa once again, with the Atletico Madrid striker netting in the 2-0 win over Mallorca in midweek, which head coach Diego Simeone believes is an indication of their steady improvement.
“We know that the strikers live on goals. It is very good for him and for the team,” he said after the ex-Chelsea man netted his first of the season. “We are improving the balance with the team. If a team like us has humility, talent makes us better.”
Four of the last five derbies in La Liga have ended drawn, with Atleti seeking to end a winless league streak against their neighbours dating back to February 2016.