- The Real Madrid vs Atletico Madrid will kick off at 11 PM EAT.
- Real Madrid will be without the likes of Jude Bellingham and Dani Ceballos.
Spanish foes Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid will lock horns in a crunch UEFA Champions League round of 16 tie on Tuesday night.
The two sides will be aiming to secure a win in the first leg that is scheduled to be held at the Bernabéu as they seek to put themselves a step closer to qualifying for the quarterfinals.
Atletico Madrid, who are having one of their fantastic seasons under the guidance of Argentina tactician Diego Simeone, are favorites to proceed to the next round thanks to their excellent scouting that has helped them recruit talented players like Julian Alvarez.
However, Real Madrid’s superior attacking lineup that has the likes of French forward Kylian Mbappe and the Brazilian duo of Rodrygo and Vinicius Junior will make life difficult for them.
The Los Blancos head into this match on the back of a disappointing 2-1 defeat in the hands of Real Betis in a domestic league tie.
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The record Champions League winners took the lead through Brahim Diaz before goals from Johnny Cardoso and their former midfielder Francisco Román Alarcón Suárez ensured their opponents collected the maximum points.
The defeat was very costly to the Carlo Ancelotti-coached side since their fellow title contenders Atletico Madrid and FC Barcelona won all their matches.
Barcelona hammered Real Sociedad 4-0 to increase their tally at the top of the La Liga table to 57 points while Atletico Madrid narrowly squeezed past Athletic Bilbao with a narrow 1-0 victory and in the process climbed to the second position.
At the moment, Real Madrid, who have 54 points, and Atletico Madrid are separated by only two points, hence they are both capable of winning the title at the end of the season.
Here are the key details you need to comprehend ahead of the upcoming Champions League fixture. Click this link to place your bet on the game and remember you can get up to 1000% SportPesa bonus on your multi bet of up to 50 games.
What time does Real Madrid vs Atletico Madrid start?
The match will start at 11 PM East African Time (EAT) on Tuesday night at the Bernabéu Stadium.
Real Madrid vs Atletico Madrid Team News
Atletico Madrid will make the trip to the Bernabéu with former Chelsea FC defender Cesar Azpilicueta and Koke, who are nursing leg and thigh injuries respectively.
On the other hand, their opponents are expected to be without Eder Militao (knee), Dani Ceballos (hamstring), Jesus Vallejo (hamstring) and Dani Carvajal (knee).
In addition, Three Lions midfielder Jude Bellingham will not play any role in this match because of yellow card accumulation.
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Possible Starting Lineups
Real Madrid: Courtois, Mendy, Rudiger, Asencio, Valverde, Camavinga, Tchouameni, Diaz, Rodrygo, Vinicius; Mbappe
Atletico Madrid: Oblak, Galan, Le Normand, Gimenez, Molina, De Paul, Llorente, Barrios, Griezmann, Lino, Alvarez
Real Madrid vs Atletico Madrid Head-to-head
Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid have played each other four times in all competitions since 2024 with the former picking up one victory. Three of those matches ended in a draw.
Atletico Madrid’s victory came on January 18, 2024, when they hammered the Los Blancos 4-2 in an epic game that was staged at the Metropolitano Stadium. Since then, the two clubs secured a 1-1 draw in the three consecutive matches that they played.
Real Madrid: 0
Draws: 3
Atletico Madrid: 1
Real Madrid vs Atletico Madrid Current Form
Real Madrid: DWWWL
Atletico Madrid: DDWDW
Real Madrid vs Atletico Madrid Predictions
Atletico Madrid are the favorites to win this match because they do not have many injury concerns compared to their rivals. However, the home advantage can help Real Madrid no to lose this match.
Therefore, football fans should expect an end to end match where both sides will create numerous goal scoring chances.
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