Overview
After 6 rounds in La Liga this season, Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid are only 2 points apart. Both are aiming for victory in the final Madrid derby before the teams enter the international break.
Jose Mourinho is having a rather impressive return to Madrid. Los Blancos have only suffered one defeat in La Liga, with a surprising 0-1 defeat to Real Betis, while winning the remaining 5 matches.
In the most recent round, Real Madrid defeated Elche with a score of 3-2 in a dramatic match. This result helps Mourinho's team rise to second place, 3 points behind Barcelona. If they continue to win against Atletico, Real Madrid will enter an international break with a favorable position in the standings.
Atletico Madrid is currently only 2 points behind their city rivals. A victory will help Diego Simeone's team overcome Real Madrid. Atletico's confidence has also been strengthened after two consecutive victories against Real Sociedad and Osasuna, in which they did not concede a goal.
However, Real Madrid is still a big challenge for Simeone. In three encounters with Mourinho in La Liga, the Argentine strategist has suffered defeats. Among the coaches Simeone has faced many times in the tournament, only Xavi Hernandez makes his record worse in terms of losing rate, with five defeats after 5 matches.
Real Madrid is also showing remarkable strength this season. Only Barcelona, with 28 goals, has scored more goals than them in La Liga. Meanwhile, Real Madrid's defense is among the most solid in the league when they have only conceded six goals.
The Royal team is also particularly dangerous in the final stage of the match. Real Madrid has won 4 more points than any other team from goals scored from the 85th minute onwards in La Liga this season.
However, Metropolitano Stadium is still not an easy destination for Real Madrid. They lost three of their last five away matches against Atletico in La Liga, along with one draw and one win. Previously, Real Madrid only lost one of their 20 away matches against Atletico in the league, with 12 wins and 7 draws.
Real Madrid has also won points in 8 of their last 9 away derbies, including four wins and four draws. However, Atletico is on a six-match winning streak at home against teams from the same city of Madrid.
Simeone's team also quickly regained their form after two consecutive defeats against Athletic Bilbao and Liverpool. In the last 2 matches, Atletico scored 7 goals and did not concede.
Another statistic that may worry Simeone is that Atletico is the only team in La Liga this season to concede all 6 goals in the second half. The strong attack of the home team can make the derby more open, especially if they actively push up the squad.
Head-to-head record
Atletico lost to Real Madrid 2-3 in their most recent La Liga encounter in March. This result ended Atletico's 6-match unbeaten streak against their city rivals, including two wins and 4 draws.
Under Simeone, Atletico only lost to Real Madrid twice in 2 or more consecutive matches in La Liga. They went through a streak of three defeats in 2013 and 2 consecutive defeats in 2020.
Score prediction: Atletico Madrid 3-3 Real Madrid
The match between Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid takes place at 9:15 PM on September 20th (Vietnam time).
