Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid will meet for the second time in eight days when they resume hostilities in the last 16 of the Copa del Rey on Thursday.
Last week, Los Blancos secured a dramatic 5-3 victory over their cross-city rivals in the semi-finals of the Supercopa de Espana.
¡Seguimos entrenando con el foco puesto en los octavos de Copa! 💪 pic.twitter.com/3TmDwC6lj8— Atlético de Madrid (@Atleti) January 15, 2024
¡Seguimos entrenando con el foco puesto en los octavos de Copa! 💪 pic.twitter.com/3TmDwC6lj8
Atletico have not played since losing in Saudi Arabia, while Carlo Ancelotti’s side went on to thrash Barcelona 4-1 in the Supercopa de Espana final.
Diego Simeone’s men booked their place in the last 16 of the Copa del Rey with a 3-1 victory over Lugo, with Memphis Depay bagging a brace.
Even so, Atletico Madrid have been wildly inconsistent in recent weeks, recording two wins, one draw and three losses in their previous six matches across all competitions.
It is worth noting, however, that Atletico have been immense on home soil of late, winning 12 of their 13 home games across all competitions this season.
If Simeone’s side are to get the better of their old foes, they will need to replicate the performance that saw them defeat Real Madrid 3-1 back in September.
As for Los Blancos, they head into Thursday’s clash on the back of a 4-1 thrashing of Barcelona, thanks largely to a hat-trick from Vinicius Junior.
Real Madrid have now won each of their last seven games across all competitions, scoring 21 goals in the process (three goals per game).
When you look at the bigger picture, Ancelotti’s men have avoided defeat in each of their previous 21 encounters, picking up 18 wins and three draws along the way.
Having won eight of their last 10 away games – recording two draws to remain unbeaten – Los Blancos will back themselves to seal the deal on Thursday.
Head-to-head: Real Madrid defeated Atletico 5-3 last week, but Simeone’s side claimed a 3-1 victory over Los Blancos in La Liga earlier this season.
In the Copa del Rey, Atletico Madrid have managed to win just one of their previous five meetings with Real Madrid in normal time.
Team news: Atletico Madrid quartet Memphis Depay, Thomas Lemar, Pablo Barrios and Vitolo missed last week’s showdown due to injury.
Real Madrid also have four players missing through injury, with Thibaut Courtois, David Alaba, Eder Militao and Lucas Vazquez on the sidelines.
Given that the two meetings between Atletico and Real Madrid this season have produced 12 goals, Thursday’s showdown will likely be an eventful encounter.
Forebet predicts that Atletico and Real Madrid will serve up a high-scoring draw in normal time, with both teams netting over 1.5 goals.