European giants Real Madrid will face a litmus test in their Copa del Rey campaign when they visit arch-rivals Atletico Madrid on Thursday night, January 18.
The round of 16 clash comes just a week after the Los Blancos hammered Atletico Madrid 5-3 in a Spanish Super Cup semifinal match that culminated with them lifting the title.
Antonio Rüdiger, Ferland Mendy, Dani Carvajal, Joselu and Brahim Diaz were on target for Real Madrid in the end-to-end match that was staged in Saudi Arabia.
Atletico Madrid, who currently occupy the sixth position in the La Liga standings, scored their goals through Mario Hermoso, and Antoine Griezmann with Rüdiger netting an own goal.
As it was expected, the Los Blancos went on to lift the prestigious title thanks to a 4-1 thrashing of FC Barcelona.
This time round, Carlo Ancelotti’s charges are set to travel to the Metropolitano Stadium on the back of a seven-game winning run with their last defeat coming at the same venue three months ago when Atletico Madrid picked up a 3-1 win.
Meanwhile, Atletico have endured a not so good season, registering only two wins from their last five matches.
Here is everything you need to be aware of ahead of the Madrid derby.
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What time does Atletico Madrid vs Real Madrid start?
The match is scheduled to kick off at 11:30 PM Tanzanian time at the Metropolitano Stadium.
Atletico Madrid vs Real Madrid Team News
The hosts are expected to be without a number of key players including Dutch forward Memphis Depay, Thomas Lemar, Vitolo and Pablo Barrios.
Lemar and Vitolo are nursing Achilles and ACL (Anterior Cruciate Ligament) injuries respectively while Depay missed the recent Spanish Super Cup clash due to an adductor issue.
Besides the trio, the club will also miss the services of Mozambican left-back Reinildo Isnard Mandava, who is in Ivory Coast representing his nation at African Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournament.
Head coach Diego Simeone is likely to go with the front three of Griezmann, Samuel Dias Lino and Alvaro Morata with Axel Witsel filling in the void left by Mandava at left-back.
Similar to Atletico, Real Madrid are also set to miss several key players in the eagerly anticipated game.
Former Bayern Munich defender David Alaba (ACL), Lucas Vazquez (thigh), Thibaut Courtois (ACL) and Eder Militao (ACL) will all sit this one out.
Moreover, French midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni is a doubt for the match after failing to grace Tuesday’s training session.
Should Tchouameni be unavailable for selection, Ancelotti might turn to his Les Bleus teammate Eduardo Camavinga who has the potential to play several positions on the pitch.
Finally, the experienced manager might replace Kepa Arrizabalaga with Ukrainian shot stopper Andrily Lunin after the latter’s excellent display against Barcelona on Sunday.
Possible Starting Lineups
Atletico Madrid: Oblak, Hermoso, Gimenez, Witsel, De Paul, Molina, Koke, Saul, Lino, Griezmann, Morata
Real Madrid: Lunin, Mendy, Rüdiger, Fernandez, Carvajal, Valverde, Kroos, Camavinga, Bellingham, Vinicius, Rodrygo
Atletico Madrid vs Real Madrid Head-to-head
Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid have faced each other 19 times in all competitions since November 2017 with the Los Blancos picking up seven wins. Eight of those matches ended in a draw including five barren ones.
Real Madrid have also had an upper hand against their foes, winning three of the recent five encounters between the two sides.
Atletico Madrid: 4
Draws: 8
Real Madrid: 7
Atletico Madrid vs Real Madrid Current Form
Atletico Madrid: DWLWL
Real Madrid: WWWWW
Atletico Madrid vs Real Madrid Prediction
Although the hosts have not shown consistency in recent months, they have made the Metropolitano a scary place to visit for other clubs.
Atletico Madrid have picked up 11 wins in their last 12 home matches and they are yet to suffer a defeat in 25 games played at their own turf.
Therefore, despite their prolific attack, Real Madrid will have their work cut out in a bid to break down Atletico’s solid defense and return home with a win. Football fans should expect a thrilling game with each side expected to throw everything at each other.