The quarter-finals of the Copa del Rey dish up a Derbi Madrileno this week, as Real Madrid host arch-rivals Atletico Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu on Thursday.
Atletico’s last Copa del Rey success came in 2013, when they beat Real Madrid in the final. The following season, Los Blancos clinched their 19th and most recent triumph.
Although second-placed Real Madrid lead fourth-placed Atletico by 10 points in the current La Liga standings, Thursday’s clash is destined to be a close-fought battle between to bitter foes.
After beating Cacereno 1-0 in the last 32, Real Madrid booked their place in the quarter-finals with a 3-2 victory over Villarreal in the previous round.
In La Liga, Carlo Ancelotti’s men have lost just two of their 17 matches this term – picking up 13 wins and two draws along the way.
Still, they find themselves three points behind first-placed Barcelona, who have suffered a solitary league defeat all season.
It’s fair to say that Real Madrid have struggled for consistency following the World Cup, recording four wins, one draw and two losses in all competitions since the break.
On the flip side, Atletico have played four Copa del Rey games to reach the quarter-finals – and they have made light work of all four opponents.
After beating Almazan (2-0) and Arenteiro (3-1), Diego Simeone’s side dispatched Oviedo (2-0) before punching their ticket to the last eight with a 2-0 victory over Levante.
Like Real Madrid, Atletico have also struggled for consistency since returning from the World Cup break – registering two wins, one draw and one loss in La Liga.
But having cruised through the Copa del Rey up to now, Simeone’s men will be hopeful of frustrating their cross-town rivals on Thursday.
Head-to-head: Across all competitions, Atletico have only managed to win one of their previous 13 matches against Real Madrid.
The rivals have faced each other seven times in the Copa del Rey since 2011, with Real Madrid winning four games and Atletico winning two.
Team news: Real Madrid have several key players sidelined due to injury, including Eden Hazard, Dani Carvajal, Lucas Vazquez, David Alaba and Aurelien Tchouameni.
As for Atleti, they look set to be without the injured duo of Jose Maria Gimenez and Yannick Carrasco for the trip to the Bernabeu.
Real Madrid and Atletico invariably dish up thrilling encounters whenever they meet, so Thursday’s clash is destined to be an eventful affair.
Forebet predicts that Real Madrid and Atletico will produce a high-scoring draw after 90 minutes, with both sides netting over 1.5 goals.
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