Atletico Madrid vs Real Madrid: La Liga – preview, team news, prediction

SaveSharefacebookxwhatsapp-strokecopylinkReal Madrid's Kylian Mbappe in action against Elche [Alberto Saiz/AP Photo]By Al Jazeera Staff, AFP and ReutersPublished On 19 Sep 202619 Sep 2026Who: Atletico Madrid vs Real Madrid What: La Liga Where: Metropolitano Stadium, Madrid, Spain When: Sunday, September 20, at 4:15pm (14:15 GMT) How to follow: Al Jazeera Sport will bring you all the build-up from 11:15 GMT before our live text commentary streamAtletico host bitter city rivals Real for the Madrid derby as both sides look to keep up with early La Liga pacesetters Barcelona.Madrid trail unbeaten champions Barcelona at the top of the table by three points, with Atletico third.Atletico have bounced back from back-to-back defeats to Bilbao and Liverpool earlier in September, beating Real Sociedad 3-0 and Osasuna 4-0 in their last two games.Real come into the game in decent form under boss Jose Mourinho but have had wobbles this month, with a defeat to Betis and scoring late to beat bottom club Elche after squandering a two-goal lead.Improving Atletico cruise to win over OsasunaAtletico Madrid thrashed Osasuna 4-0 on Wednesday to build some form in the run-up to Sunday’s derby clash against rivals Real Madrid.Jonathan David, Lee Kang-in, Robin Le Normand and Alex Baena’s goals helped Diego Simeone’s side cruise to a comfortable home victory.They were without injured striker Julian Alvarez, but it did not matter after they secured a second straight win to cut the gap on top two Barcelona and Real Madrid.The comfortable victory was important for an Atletico side with lots of new faces still bedding in, after two defeats in their three matches prior.“We controlled it in the first half even though we weren’t clinical,” said coach Diego Simeone. “We were clinical in the second half and controlled the game.”Atletico Madrid’s Alex Baena runs with the ball during the win over Osasuna at the Metropolitano Stadium [Oscar del Pozo/AFP]Mourinho rues lack of game controlReal ‌Madrid squandered a two-goal lead before substitute Carlos Espi struck in stoppage time to ⁠secure a dramatic 3-2 ⁠victory at Elche in La Liga on Tuesday.Real went 2-0 up inside 33 minutes through a Matias Dituro own goal and Kylian Mbappe, but second-half strikes from Abiel ⁠Osorio and Fer Nino hauled Elche level before Espi restored the visitors’ lead in the 91st minute.It was the second time in ⁠six league matches that the 21-year-old Espi had come off the bench to score a late winner, although Mourinho remained concerned by Real’s failure to control the second half in advance of Sunday’s derby against Atletico Madrid.“The problem seems obvious to me. It’s harder to know why, but it’s easy to understand that there are matches that seem over and, in the end, aren’t,” said Mourinho.“[There are] matches where we have three, four, five chances to finish them and don’t,” he said at the pre-match news conference.“After failing to do so, it feels like we go from ease, because it seemed easy, to losing control.”Mourinho said his team’s defensive issues were of concern.“Not just for Sunday’s match, but for every match. I like my team to score goals … but I also like controlling matches,” explained Mourinho.“I don’t like gifting control. It’s not about the goals, it’s about giving away control of the match.”Mourinho’s side gave him a fright during their win over Elche [Alberto Saiz/AP Photo]PredictionThe Opta supercomputer has made Real Madrid the favourites, with a win probability of 46.6 percent. Atletico were given a 28.3 percent chance of winning, while a draw was estimated at a 25.1 percent likelihood.Head-to-headThe rivals have faced each other on 243 occasions; Real Madrid won 125 games, Atletico won 60, while 58 matches ended as draws.Last five encounters: March 22, 2026: Real Madrid 3-2 Atletico (La Liga) January 8, 2026: Atletico 1-2 Real Madrid (Spanish Super Cup semifinal) September 27, 2025: Atletico 5-2 Real Madrid (La Liga) March 12, 2025: Atletico 1-0 Real Madrid (Champions League last 16, second leg) March 4, 2025: Real Madrid 2-1 Atletico (Champions League last 16, first leg) What happened the last time the two clubs played each other?Vinicius Jr scored ⁠twice ⁠as Real Madrid fought back to beat Atletico Madrid 3-2 at the Santiago Bernabeu in ⁠a breathless Spanish capital derby in March.Atletico’s Ademola Lookman opened the scoring in the 33rd minute, finishing a slick ‌counterattack involving Matteo Ruggeri and a delightful back-heel from Giuliano Simeone.Vinicius equalised from the penalty spot in the 52nd minute, after David Hancko clumsily tripped Brahim Diaz, and Federico ⁠Valverde capitalised on a ⁠Jose Maria Gimenez error three minutes later to make it 2-1 to Real.Nahuel Molina silenced Real’s ⁠Bernabeu stadium with a thunderous 30-metre strike in ⁠the 66th minute, but ⁠Vinicius restored Real’s lead with a cracking solo effort six minutes later.Vinicius Jr celebrates scoring his team’s winner [Florencia Tan Jun/Getty Images]What happened in the corresponding fixture last season?Julian Alvarez scored twice as Atletico Madrid came from behind to thrash city rivals Real Madrid 5-2 in a pulsating derby in September 2025.Atletico’s aggressive start paid off when Robin Le Normand opened the scoring with a header in the 14th minute.However, Kylian Mbappe burst through to level with an unstoppable strike from close range in a quick counter in the 25th minute, with Arda Guler netting a volley from a Vinicius Jr cross 11 minutes later to put the visitors in front.Alexander Sorloth’s header in added time before the break gave Atletico a boost, and they regained the lead five minutes into the second half when Alvarez converted a penalty after Guler’s high boot clipped Nico Gonzalez on the face inside the box.After Alvarez extended their lead in the 64th minute with a sublime free kick into the top corner, substitute Antoine Griezmann sealed the win in a quick counter in added time.Alvarez scores Atletico’s third from the spot [Angel Martinez/Getty Images]Atletico Madrid’s team newsAlvarez, Pablo Barrios, and Sorloth are doubts, as all three are struggling with muscle issues.Jonathan David is likely to continue up front if Alvarez is absent or starts on the bench.Predicted starting XI:Oblak (goalkeeper); Llorente, Romero, Le Normand, Grimaldo; Lee, Koke, Cardoso, Baena; David, LookmanReal Madrid’s team newsEder Militao, Rodrygo, and Ferland Mendy are unavailable due to injuries, but otherwise Mourinho appears to have a full squad to choose from.Predicted starting XI:Courtois (goalkeeper); Dumfries, Konate, Huijsen, Cucurella; Valverde, Tchouameni; Guler, Bellingham, Vinicius; Mbappe