Despite the sitting of Laliga, reigning champions Real Madrid can feel that they have a lot to prove when they organize Atletico Madrid.
The in-form city rivals of Los Blancos will now like to grab the momentum in the title race and jump the team of Carlo Ancelotti in first place.
Madrid has not succeeded in beating one of their top-four rivals this season and to look for a statement of Saturday for a statement to silence some of their doubters.
It will be the first of two massive challenges with which Ancelotti and his charges will be confronted in the coming days, with Madrid travels to England next week for the first stage of their Champions League play-off draw with Manchester City.
Beating Atletico could be a turning point for Madrid, who have been examined for their inconsistent form while trying to defend their titles at home and in Europe.
Defeats for AC Milan and Liverpool in the Champions League pain, but they were more seriously exposed to two thrashings distributed by Barcelona.
A 4-0 loss at home in the competition and a 5-1 demolition in the Supercopa de Espana asked asking if Madrid had it in them to keep their crowns.
Atletico has been in Imperious and won 19 of their last 21 games in all competitions.
Sterling versions of Antoine Griezmann, Julian Alvarez and Rodrigo de Paul have earned Atletico Big Wins in Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain, while Diego Simeone's side has played some of the best football in Europe in recent months.
They will also have recent history on their side when they step on the Santiago Bernabeu field on Saturday.
Madrid has won only one of their last six capital pie, a 5-3 extra time victory in the supercopa de Espana last year in Saudi Arabia.
Atletico also handed Madrid their only two defeats of an almost perfect season 2023-24.
The reverse fixture this term ended 1-1.
A victory at Santiago Bernabeu would give Atletico the benefit in the table in a crucial phase of the campaign, and Madrid goes in the game that has to struggle with an injury crisis.
Misted both defensive faithful Dani Carvajal and Brazil Center-Back Eder Militao for the season with torn front cross fair, Ancelotti then lost Antonio Rudiger and David Alaba with leg muscle injuries in the past days.
The Italian coach gave the 20-year-old Jacobo Ramon his first senior starting colleague Academy graduate Raul Asencio in Madrid's 3-2 Copa del Rey victory on Leganes on Wednesday, but Ancelotti tends to use midfielder Tchouamameni to cover To cover for his wounded stars.
Ancelotti has won only 35% of his matches as a coach of Madrid against Atleti in all competitions (G23 W8 D7 L8); Only against Man City (17% – G6 W1 D3 L2) has he posted a lower winning percentage among all his rivals that was confronted with Los Blancos at least five times.
Simeone, however, has lost nine of his 25 meetings with Ancelotti in all competitions (W9 D7). He had more defeats against no other coach in his career.
On the lurking are in third place, Barcelona, three points behind Atletico and an unbeaten run of nine games in all competitions.
They travel to Seville on Sunday to the 12th placed.
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