Preview: Real Madrid vs Atletico Madrid - prediction, team news, lineups

One of the biggest matches on the football calendar will take place at the glorious Bernabeu on Sunday evening, as Real Madrid welcome bitter rivals Atletico Madrid in the Madrid derby.

Real Madrid are currently second in the La Liga table, four points behind the leaders Barcelona, while Atletico are third, nine points off their capital rivals.

Match preview

Recent league defeats to Osasuna and Getafe mean that Real Madrid have little room for error in Spain's top flight at this moment in time, and they would be seven points off the summit if Barcelona beat Rayo Vallecano on Sunday afternoon.

As a result, the importance of claiming all three points in this match cannot be downplayed, and they will enter the game off the back of four straight wins in all competitions, two of which have come in the league against Celta Vigo and Elche.

Alvaro Arbeloa's side have a record of 21 wins, three draws and four defeats from their 28 league matches this season, and they have won 12 of their 14 league fixtures at Bernabeu.

Los Blancos will enter this match off the back of a 2-1 win over Manchester City in the second leg of their last-16 Champions League affair, which secured a 5-1 aggregate success and booked a spot in the quarter-finals against German powerhouses Bayern Munich.

Real Madrid are chasing a La Liga and Champions League double late in the campaign, while they will be looking for some revenge on Atletico, having suffered a spectacular 5-2 defeat when the two teams locked horns in the reverse match earlier this season.

Atletico would have gained a lot of confidence from their success over Real Madrid earlier this season, but the pair have met since then, with Los Blancos running out 2-1 winners in the semi-finals of the Spanish Super Cup at the start of the year.

Four of the last six league meetings between these two sides have finished level, while Real Madrid have incredibly not beaten Atletico in Spain's top flight at Bernabeu since December 2021, with Atletico securing a point on their last three visits.

Diego Simeone's side are not in a title race at this stage of the season, sitting nine points behind second-placed Real Madrid and 13 off leaders Barcelona, but they are comfortably in the top four, 13 points ahead of fifth-placed Real Betis.

Atletico are also chasing a double late in the campaign, with their spot in the quarter-finals of the Champions League confirmed despite a 3-2 loss to Tottenham Hotspur in the second leg of their last-16 clash on Wednesday night.

The Red and Whites, who will face Barcelona in the Champions League quarter-finals, are also in the Copa del Rey final, tackling Real Sociedad for the trophy on April 18.

Real Madrid La Liga form:

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Real Madrid form (all competitions):

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Atletico Madrid La Liga form:

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Team News

Eder Militao (hamstring), Dani Ceballos (calf), Rodrygo (knee) and Thibaut Courtois (thigh) are definitely out of the match for Real Madrid.

However, Ferland Mendy, David Alaba and Raul Asencio could return to the squad, while there might also be a spot on the bench for Jude Bellingham, who is now back in full training with the Spanish giants after recovering from a hamstring injury.

Kylian Mbappe made his return from a knee injury off the bench against Man City and is now set to feature alongside Vinicius Junior in the final third of the field, while Alvaro Carreras should also be back in the side at left-back.

As for Atletico, Pablo Barrios (thigh), Rodrigo Mendoza (muscle) are both out of the match through injury, while Jan Oblak remains a major doubt due to a hip issue.

As a result, there could be another spot between the sticks for Juan Musso.

Marc Pubill is likely to return for Atletico at the back this weekend, while there could also be a spot in the final third of the field for Alexander Sorloth, with Antoine Griezmann potentially dropping down to the bench for the Madrid derby.

Julian Alvarez's future remains the subject of much speculation, and the Argentina international will be looking to add to the 17 goals that he has scored this season.

Real Madrid possible starting lineup:

Lunin; Alexander-Arnold, Rudiger, Huijsen, Carreras; Camavinga, Tchouameni, Valverde; Guler; Mbappe, Vinicius

Atletico Madrid possible starting lineup:

Musso; Molina, Pubill, Hancko, Ruggeri; Simeone, Llorente, Cardoso, Lookman; Sorloth, Alvarez

We say: Real Madrid 2-1 Atletico Madrid

Not since December 2021 have Real Madrid beaten Atletico at Bernabeu in La Liga, but we are backing the hosts to secure all three points here; Mbappe's return is huge, and Arbeloa's side should be able to navigate their way to a much-needed win.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.