Real Madrid VS Atletico Madrid
Tuesday (02/05/2017)
19:45 (WAT)
Tuesday (02/05/2017)
19:45 (WAT)
Real Madrid will host Atletico at the Santiago Bernabeu on Tuesday in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League semi-final.
Los Blancos have met their city rivals in the competition in each of the last four seasons, including in the 2014 and 2016 finals.
On all three occasions thus far Real won, so Diego Simeone's side will be desperate to avenge the defeats and reach another final.
Team News
Raphael Varane looks set to play for Real, per AS, while the outlet also reported Gareth Bale will be missing.
Meanwhile, Simeone faces a conundrum at the back, as according to AS' Jorge Garcia, Jose Gimenez, Sime Vrsaljko and Juanfran are all injured for the clash
Predicted Real Madrid Lineup: Keylor Navas; Dani Carvajal, Nacho, Sergio Ramos, Marcelo; Toni Kroos, Casemiro, Luka Modric; Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, Isco
Predicted Atletico Madrid Lineup: Jan Oblak; Stefan Savic, Lucas Hernandez, Diego Godin, Filipe Luis; Koke, Saul Niguez, Gabi, Yannick Carrasco; Fernando Torres, Antoine Griezmann
Preview
Real come into the match on the back of a 2-1 win over Valencia on Saturday.
The left-back's all-round excellence, particularly going forward with pace, creativity and width, will be of real use to Los Blancos as they set about trying to break down Atletico.
To that end, manager Zinedine Zidane would do well to consider starting Isco in Bale's absence.
The Spaniard was rested on Saturday but bagged a goal and an assist in an exceptional performance against Deportivo La Coruna on Wednesday.
Indeed, the playmaker's dribbling, vision and penetrative passing in the final third make him an ideal candidate to help Real breach Atletico's incredible defence.
Los Rojiblancos prepared for Tuesday in style with a 5-0 win at Las Palmas, with the Guardian's Sid Lowe noting how rampant they were in the early stages particularly:
Away against Real, they're likely to be far more cautious as they focus on keeping a clean sheet.
Simeone's men have conceded just three goals in their last 12 matches in all competitions, one of which was against Real in their 1-1 draw at the Bernabeu in April.
By contrast, Real have kept just two clean sheets since January, a run spanning 19 matches in all competitions.
Atletico will undoubtedly be hoping to grab at least one away goal given Real's poor defensive record, and with their ability to protect a lead, that would be a significant advantage if they can take it into the second leg.
Real have the superior head-to-head record in the Champions League of late, though, and also beat their rivals 3-0 earlier this season—they're certainly capable of claiming a result here, too.
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