Liga Preview: Real Madrid-Atletico Madrid
David Beckham plays his first derby for Real Madrid as they entertain cross-town rivals Atletico at the Santiago Bernabeu.
David Beckham plays his first derby for Real Madrid as they entertain cross-town rivals Atletico at the Santiago Bernabeu.
The England skipper looked in a bit of discomfort when coming off against Osasuna on Saturday with an ankle injury, but has since been passed fit to play.
Real have not been impressive of late. They were often outplayed in the 1-1 draw with Osasuna, and were not at their best in 2-1 wins over Albacete -who coach Carlos Queiroz accused of being negative- and Marseille.
Neither Zinedine Zidane or Raul are performing at the peak of their powers at the moment. The likes of Beckham, with his midfield industry, and Ronaldo, with his goals are taking most of the plaudits currently.
Prior to the game at Osasuna there was a training ground scuffle between Real hard-man Michel Salgado and Guti. Ahead of a testing series of matches which also pits Real against Barcelona and Deportivo, this would have been an encouraging sign to Queiroz that his players are on the ball.
They'll have to be as they come up against an Atletico side who have won six of their last seven in La Liga. The team have improved drastically in each department of the pitch. The defence looks more sturdy, while in attack Demis Nikolaidis is turning some heads after being given an extended run in the first-team. The Greek scored a cracker in his side's 2-0 win over Malaga on Saturday.
LATEST TEAM NEWS
Real Madrid: Queiroz can field his strongest line-up, after David Beckham, Luis Figo and Roberto Carlos all recovered from their respective knocks.
Atletico Madrid: Kiki Musampa and Ariel Ibagaza will be charged with producing the creative spark. Nikolaidis will continue his effective partnership with Torres in attack.
PROBABLE LINE-UPS
Real Madrid: Iker Casillas, Michel Salgado, Pavón, Raúl Bravo, Roberto Carlos, Figo, Beckham, Helguera, Zidane, Raúl, Ronaldo.
Atlético de Madrid: Burgos, Gaspar, Simeone, Lequi, Sergi, Novo, De Los Santos, Ibagaza, Musampa, Torres, Nikolaidis.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Raul (Real Madrid): the one Atletico let slip through their fingers. The man for the big occasion will be looking to put behind him some poor form and help his side to victory in this titanic clash.
Fernando Torres (Atletico Madrid): Raul's future long-term partner in the national team. The 19-year-old has the lot – pace, trickery, power and a deadly eye for goal.