La Liga: Real Needs More Than Revenge in the Madrid Derby

Real Madrid vs Atletico Madrid

The La Liga title race is gathering pace and with just ten games to play it has once again become an El Clasico battle, with Barcelona four points clear at the top of the table.

Second-placed Real Madrid are a further nine points clear of Atletico in third, and the very least head coach Alvaro Arbeloa wants is to keep Los Rojiblancos’ at arm’s length. Barcelona are highly unlikely to slip up against Rayo Vallecano earlier on Sunday so a win is important for Los Blancos to stay in touch with the leaders.

And then there is that small matter of revenge, as the Whites will still be smarting after they took a 5-2 spanking at the Metropolitano Stadium in September. Rojiblancos boss Diego Simeone will be plotting another headache for his neighbours and we’re in for a cracker between two in-form sides.

Last week Real Madrid beat Elche 4-1 to keep the heat on Barca, while Atletico edged out in-form Getafe 1-0 to stay ahead of Villarreal in fourth. They both coasted through to the Champions League quarter-finals in midweek and have mouth-watering quarter final ties to look forward to, Atleti will face Barcelona while Los Blancos have drawn Bayern Munich. 

But, right now, all eyes are in the Santiago Bernabeu for the big kick-off, 9pm local time on Sunday.

 

Talking Points

Arbeloa hopes for a City catalyst

There’s no way to overplay Real Madrid’s 5-1 aggregate win over Manchester City; it was a simply huge result and the margin of victory a real statement. Following the departure of former boss Xabi Alonso, Arbeloa has not had everything his own way but this type of result against one of the best teams on the planet can do him no harm at all.

And the performance of Vinicius Junior, who bagged a brace at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday, is cause for optimism for his manager, in a season in which the Brazil star has made as many headlines for off-field matters as for his exploits on it. He’s clearly a world-class talent and, in the absence of his countryman Rodrygo, Vinicius will be a key player in the run-in; and his manager needs him to be happy. There may be more good news for Los Blancos as midfielder Jude Bellingham is nearing a comeback but, on the flip side, keeper Thibaut Courtois looks set to be sidelined having torn a muscle, and the latest La Liga 2026 news from the Santiago Bernabeu suggests Courtois will be out for the Champions League quarter-finals so Andriy Lunin will be the last line of defence for the foreseeable future.

 

Simeone can rely on Atleti’s consistency

The Atletico boss is in his element in the big games and, despite losing their second leg Round of 16 tie away to Tottenham Hotspur, Los Rojiblancos reached the quarter finals of Europe’s flagship competition for the eighth time in 13 years. And they have been equally consistent in La Liga; in his 15 years at the helm Simeone has instilled a powerful culture at the club; the players fight for each other and never know when they are beaten; twice winning La Liga and finishing outside the top three only once.

Los Rojiblancos are devilishly hard to beat but they have their fair share of flair players too. Julian Alvarez scored one goal and made the other as Atleti did what they needed to do in North London on Tuesday. With Antoine Griezmann pulling the strings in the creative unit and Alexander Sorloth a top class target man, Simeone added to his group with the loan signing of Nico Gonzalez from Juventus, and the Argentine bagged a brace in the recent 3-2 win over Real Sociedad.

 

History

Real have won 33 derbies to Atleti’s 15 and there have been 23 draws from the last 71 games, and at the Santiago Bernabeu the tally stands at 18 wins to six while there have been 12 draws. Los Blancos lost heavily at the Metropolitano Stadium early in the campaign in January, while this fixture last season ended in a 1-1 draw.  

In terms of recent form Los Blancos have five wins and one defeat from the last six games while Los Rojiblancos have won four and lost two of their last six.

 

Betting Tip

Real Madrid are odds on at a SBOTOP price of 1.90 to win, with Atleti at 3.60 and the Draw at 3.80. Make no mistake, the La Liga 2026 betting odds will make a further move towards Catalonia should Real Madrid slip up on Sunday. But Simeone and his team love these occasions and they will do all they can to upset their neighbours.

   

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