The stakes will be high as two familiar foes meet for the third time this season, battling for a place in the UEFA Champions League 2024-25 quarterfinals. The Madrid derby is back, with Real Madrid set to host Atletico Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu in the first leg of their round–of–16 clash.
History favours Real Madrid in this fixture, as they face their city rivals for the 10th time in UCL history, the most matches played between any city rivals in the competition. Los Blancos have won five of their previous nine encounters, including the 2014 and 2016 finals.
Additionally, Real Madrid have lost only one of their last 17 UCL knockout games (W11 D5)—a 4-0 thrashing at the hands of Manchester City in the 2022/23 semifinals. Atletico, on the other hand, has lost their last three away knockout games.
However, both La Liga encounters between these sides this season ended in 1-1 draws, with the most recent one being a battle for the top spot. Julian Alvarez gave Atletico the lead in that game with a first-half penalty, while KylianMbappe restored parity early in the second half, as Realpeppered Atleti’s goal with shots from all ranges.
Heading into this clash, Real trails both Atletico and Barcelona in La Liga after a 2-1 away loss to Real Betis. Atletico, having never won a knockout-stage encounter against Real, will be the more confident side in terms of form after a 1-0 home win against probable top-fourcontenders Athletic Bilbao, keeping them close behind Barca at the top.
Both teams will be eager to eliminate one of their fiercest rivals, not just to knock them out of the competition but also to disrupt their momentum. Diego Simeone’s Atletiseem to be in their best form of the season and will look to capitalise on it, while Carlo Ancelotti’s Real have been inconsistent but still remain favorites in this tie.
It won’t be a surprise to see Mbappe and Vinicius Junior star for their team, as they will continue to be without Jude Bellingham due to his yellow card accumulation. Mbapperemains in top form after netting a hat-trick in his last UCL game against Man City, while Vinicius Jr. has nine goal involvements in this competition.
Jesus Vallejo, Eder Militao, Dani Carvajal, and Dani Ceballos will remain sidelined due to injuries, while Federico Valverde is a concern with hamstring issues. However, David Alaba is back in contention, though Raul Asencio is likely to partner Antonio Rudiger at the heart of Real’s defense.
Atleti, meanwhile, will be banking on their own South American sensation, Alvarez, who has scored six goals in eight Champions League games this season. They are likely to be without Koke and César Azpilicueta, both of whom are battling for fitness ahead of the trip to the Bernabeu.
