WHO: Atletico Madrid vs Real Madrid
Contents: Spanish Liga
Location: Riad Air Metropolitano, Madrid, Spain
When: Saturday, September 26th, 4:15pm (14:15 GMT)
How to Follow: Before the live text commentary stream, there is all the builds to Al Jazeera Sport from 1:15pm (13:15 GMT).
Real Madrid got off to a perfect start to the season under Xabi Alonso, but their new coach opposed self-satisfaction on Friday before the first Madrid derby to take charge of La Liga’s leadership.
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Alonso spent five seasons as a real player, but now he takes his team to Metropolitano Stadium and takes on Atletico in his latest role on his side in an impressive way.
Real has won all six league matches, conceded three goals, and has a two-point advantage over champion Barcelona.
“We’ve only played six but we’ve scored full points, but some games were real struggles so we can’t be overconfident,” Alonso told reporters before Saturday’s game.
“I think just stepping on the pitch to win for the badge you wear or the team we have, the more you educate us that we are on for the match on any ground, the more games we win.
“And if you win a lot of games, you can pick up a lot of points with that natural activation.
Is Alonso a trip to Real Madrid for the first time at Atletico as a manager?
Alonso faced a manager at Atletico when he was in charge of Bayer Lebakusen. He took over the German club last season and drew 2-2 for Madrid in 2022 shortly after losing 2-1, but actually going there is a very different outlook.
“It’s definitely not going to Metropolitano with Real Madrid with other clubs,” Alonso said.
“Because of healthy rivalry, I think it is beautiful and something I have enjoyed over the years.
How does Atletico Madrid form before the actual visit?
Alonso’s Real Flying High, while Diego Simeone’s Atletico won two of the six league games.
The Real also failed to beat Atletico in the league over the past two seasons.
“I don’t really talk about rankings now,” Alonso said.
“We certainly could have extended the lead, but the game is going to be tough. It’s going to be tight. Winning at Metropolitano is not easy. We have to work for it.”
Alonso was impressed with Simeone but doesn’t target
Simeone has been at Atletico for 14 years, but Alonso, 43, who replaced Carlo Ancelotti in June, isn’t looking too far ahead.
“What Simeone has done in Atletico over the last 14 years is not just what he accomplished, but it’s very important,” Alonso said.
“I’m just starting out, so I like to move things in stages. I don’t set such long-term goals.
“It started well and we’ll see because there’s a long way ahead.”
What happened when Real Madrid faced Atletico?
Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone hates deviating from here and now, but it’s hard not to see both the forward and the back when his team is a real host.
The last time these teams met was in the Champions League in March, with Atletico being eliminated after Julian Alvarez’s controversial gunfight penalty.
The Rogi Blancos watched the incident for weeks, but Alvarez ruled that he double-kicked the ball, and their season quickly jumped off the rails. Perhaps they have never fully recovered since.
Rank | Here’s how the #laligaeasports table takes care of Match Day 6: pic.twitter.com/vlrzyf2zrb
– Laliga English (@laligaen) September 25, 2025
Can SimeOne turn Atletico’s fortunes around?
Atletico spent the summer big and signed Alex Baena, David Hanko and Aota Tiago for a total of 175 million euros ($204 million).
“We want to recover in the best possible way,” Simeone said after his team came from behind and defeated Rayo Vallecano 3-2 in Wednesday’s thrilling clash.
“We have a really difficult, hard game against a team that has won every game and has a lot of really good players in the team.”
What is Simeone’s record at Atletico?
This week’s Simeone became the longest-time coach to take charge of the La Liga Club, which arrived in December 2011.
We will help Atletico reach two Champions League finals. Both lost to Real Madrid in 2014 and 2016 and won two LA La Liga titles, Simeone took the club to its best moments.
Unfortunately, over the past few seasons, the team has fallen from its peak since winning La Liga in 2021.
“The team needs to evolve to the height of the club,” Simeone admitted in August.
What was Real Madrid’s form before the Derby?
Alonso can match Vander Railuxembourgo’s seven-game winning record at the start of the 2005 season set.
The main force behind Madrid’s excellent results is superstar striker Killian Mbape. He leads the scoring chart with 7. France International ended in a rich way last season and continued it into a new campaign.
What is Atletico’s biggest struggle?
Atletico, in contrast to Reale, lacked finesse in front of the goal until Alvarez scored the first hat trick of his career against Reio to climb to four league goals.
“Julian is the best player we have. We need to take care of him, so he will be here in Atletico for many years,” Simeone said.
“He has to help us and we have to help him, so he’s even better than he is now. Every time he scores, he makes a difference and he helps us so much.”
Who will La Liga Champions Barcelona play with and when?
Second-placed Barcelona hosts Real Sociedad at the Olympic Stadium on Sunday, hoping Real Madrid closes the two-point gap to the top.
Atletico Madrid Team News
Spain’s international Alex Bena returned from injury on the bench on Wednesday, while Alexander Sollos returned from suspension.
However, Jose Guimenez, Johnny Cardoso and Armadatiago are all absent due to injuries.
Real Madrid Team News
Alonso refused to give him a clue in his starting lineup, but said Jude Bellingham and Eduardo Camabinga are healthy enough to start after returning from an injury recently and playing as a replacement.
Trent Alexander Arnold, Ferland Mendy and Antonio Rudiger all remain on the sidelines due to injuries.
Atletico Madrid predicted the starting lineup
oblak; Llorente, Le Normand, Lenglet, Hancko; Simeone, Koke, Barrios, Gallagher; Alvarez, Sorlos
Real Madrid predicted the starting lineup
Kotewa; Carvajal, Militao, Huijsen, Carreras; Valverde, Chameni; Mustantoono, Gaul, Vinicius. mbappe
