Real Madrid are looking to do the double over Atletico Madrid as both teams meet in the derby on Saturday. Both teams come into this one in good form but Los Blancos often get the better of their local rivals and should have the edge once again.
After an uncharacteristically erratic run in December and January, Real Madrid are beginning to find their rhythm once again. Sitting eight points off the pace, they are still playing catch-up to Barcelona but have now won their last five matches across all competitions.
Real Madrid are looking confident and playing with their trademark swagger. They claimed a 2-0 victory at Osasuna in their previous La Liga fixture and followed that up with an impressive 5-2 Champions League victory at Liverpool with Vinicius Junior and Karim Benzema netting a brace each.
Even when Real Madrid were on their erratic run, the Santiago Bernabeu remained a fortress. Carlo Ancelotti’s men are still yet to taste defeat at home this season and claimed a 4-0 victory over Elche in their previous La Liga fixture on their own turf.
While Real Madrid are looking to crank up the pressure on Barcelona in the title race, Atletico Madrid are battling slightly below them. Having crashed out of everything else this season, their only target is a top four finish and they currently hold a three point gap over the rest of the chasing pack.
It has undoubtedly been a difficult campaign for Atletico Madrid this season but they appear to be rediscovering their best form in recent weeks. Diego Simeone’s men have claimed four wins and a draw from their last five La Liga matches and picked up a 1-0 victory over Athletic Bilbao last time out.
Atletico Madrid have been slightly erratic on their travels lately with two wins and as many defeats from their last five away matches in La Liga. However, the good news is that both wins have come in their last two matches, claiming 1-0 victories over Osasuna and Celta Vigo.
How the bookies view it
Real Madrid are considered overwhelming favourites among the bookies with a home win priced at 4/5 by Betfred. A victory for Atletico Madrid is valued at 4/1 by BoyleSports while a draw is set at odds of 13/5 by BetVictor.
Head to head
Real Madrid have a 41-13 advantage with 20 draws from 74 previous matches against Atletico Madrid. Los Blancos have already beaten their rivals twice this season, picking up a 2-1 win in the reverse fixture before claiming a 3-1 extra-time victory in the Copa Del Rey.
Players to watch
Karim Benzema appears to be fully back to his best with five goals in his last three appearances for Real Madrid. The striker was also on target in the Copa Del Rey win over Atletico and is priced at 5/4 with bet365 to find the net on Saturday.
Antoine Griezmann is the joint leading scorer for Atletico Madrid with seven La Liga goals and could be worth keeping an eye on. The French forward scored the winner last time out against Athletic Bilbao and is priced at 21/5 by Unibet to find the net on Saturday.
Anything else catch the eye?
There were over 3.5 goals in the Copa Del Rey clash in January and a repeat is priced at 11/4 with BetVictor. The reverse fixture produced over 2.5 goals which is valued at evens with bet365, who are also offering odds of 10/11 on both teams to score.
Real Madrid have scored in both halves in four of their last five matches across all competitions and Saturday’s clash could be tipped to follow a similar pattern at 15/8 with Paddy Power.
This La Liga match between Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid will be played on Feb 25, 2023 and kick off at 17:30. Check below for our tipsters best Real Madrid vs Atletico Madrid prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
