THE MADRID DERBY
CLUB ATLETICO DE MADRID vs REAL MADRID CF
Estadio Vicente Calderon, Madrid, Spain
Saturday, Nov 19th, 2016
2:45pm EST, BEIN Sports
Welcome back to another edition of the Lewnau Sports Bureau! This weekend boasts a plethora of must see matches across Europe. From Arsenal vs Manchester United to a London Derby between Tottenham Hotspur vs West Ham United in England, to Borussia Dortmund vs Bayern Munchen in Germany to Athletic Club vs Villarreal in Spain, there’s no match with greater intrigue and importance than the Madrid Derby taking place at the Vicente Calderon on Saturday night in Spain’s Capitol! Therefore, I’ll prime you for this match by providing you with a Madrid Derby history lesson, reveal the key figures to the game for either side, and touch upon the significance this match can have in the La Liga Table after Matchday 12.
Real and Atletico are two clubs that historically have been as divided in terms of club culture as the Derby’s overall record which stands at Los Meringues winning 108 games to Los Colchoneros 54 games over the span of 213 total matches. This can be attributed to several factors. First, Real has and seemingly will always have more resources than that of Atletico, as the club is the highest valued sporting organization in the world. Secondly, Real have won an unprecedented 11 European Cups to Atletico’s goose egg. In addition, while Atletico has won a nice haul of La Liga Trophies with 10, that number becomes dwarfed when compared to Real’s record 32 La Liga Triumphs, and truly, I can go on and on in that regard. Thirdly, Real is seen as the club in Madrid that represents the white collar executive, meanwhile Atletico represents the blue collar worker.
The teams rosters and playing styles very much reflect the club’s supporters. For Real, the squad is littered with world class players, so many so, that one of the team’s nicknames is the Galaticos (referring to the Gala Xl, which is what the best Xl players in Europe are called). They play with blundering pace and indescribable creativity culminating in goals, A LOT of goals. Conversely, Atletico’s roster is filled with a blend of crafty veterans and youngsters oozing with potential. But things have changed recently. Ever Since Diego Simeone began toeing the sideline for Los Rojiblancos, little over 5 seasons ago, Atleti has gotten better and better. So much so, that Atletico won the Europa League in 2012, won the Copa Del Rey in 2013 over Real, won La Liga and reached the Champions League Final in 2014, and lastly reaching the Champions League Final for a second time in 2016. Unfortunately, both Finals defeats were to Real. Nevertheless, Atletico appears to not only be rivals of the pitch, but on it now with Real.
The three key figures for Los Blancos are none other than the soon to be four time Ballon D’or Winner in Cristiano Ronaldo, Luka Modric, and Sergio Ramos! After struggling by his standards for much of this season, Ronaldo appears to have turned the corner as he has scored 11 goals over the past 11 games for club and country. This fine fettled form is just what Real needs in as score chances will be hard to come by in this match. Cristiano’s thundering pace, powerful shots, and deadly accurate headers make him a triple threat down the left side of the field. Moving towards the middle of the park, Luka Modric will be back from injury. Seen as Real’s maestro of the midfield, Modric is one of those Galacticos that can turn the match on its head with a dynamite through ball to the front three, perhaps to Ronaldo. Or perhaps he just lands a wicked strike alas his wonder goal for Croatia in EURO 2016. Keep an eye on how he's moving, as this is his first match back from injury, so fitness will be a question once the match hits 70 min and beyond. Lastly, Real’s Captain in Sergio Ramos leads the backline once again, as he too is coming back from injury. Ramos has missed the past eight games, so for him sharpness might be an issue. He’s incredibly versatile as he routinely comes up with crucial goals via heading home set pieces, but as a center back Ramos is prone to laps in judgment leading to penalty shots or yellow and red cards. The fact though, is that Real getting its Captain, its leader back for this main event is huge for the morale of the team.
On the flip side, there are four key figures for Atletico, and they are Diego Godin, Filipe Luis, Antoine Griezmann, and Diego Simeone. Diego Godin, recently awarded the Best Defender Award in La Liga for the 2015-16 campaign, is the glue to Atletico’s defensive prowess. At centerhalf, he essentially eliminates any scoring chances from the middle of box. In addition he brings a toughness and mental acumen to the field that insures his manager’s tactical gameplan comes to fruition. Also on the back line is left back Filipe Luis. This Brazilian fullback is as fierce a competitor as they come, just ask Lionel Messi. During last season’s encounter with Barcelona, Filipe Luis sent a message to the World’s Best Player with a vicious tackle leading to a straight red card. This is where Simeone’s passion pours onto the pitch. But thats not all with Luis. Like most Brazilian defenders, he's quite talented with the ball at his feet. Courtesy of ESPN.com, Luis had the most passes by a defender as well as the most tackles in La Liga last year. Thus, expect him to be a focal point of Atleti’s counter attacks down the left flank. Next, Antione Griezmann has truly blossomed over the past season into one of the world’s best strikers. He won the La Liga Best Player Award for 2015-16 campaign, as well as EURO 2016 Best Player and Golden Boot honors. Thus, he’s Rojiblancos’ go to man up front. Expect him to be the guy to finish off the counter attack and put Atletico on the front foot if given the chance. Lastly, make sure to keep an eye on Atletico Manager Diego Simeone. He is as passionate as they come, and when a play goes for or against his club you’ll know about it as his demonstrative demeanor will be ever present on the sideline. He too has been kicked out of a match and suspended for getting into heated discussions with the officials. But that passion will only feed the tremendous Calderon crowd and their hardworking, defensive-minded, rough-housing squad.
Finally, in terms of La Liga importance, this match pits first place Real against fourth place Atletico. If Real wins, then they’ll remain top dogs and increase the gap on their city rivals to nine points. However, if Los Colchoneros were to pull out a win, then Real would stumble to second in the standings assuming Barcelona win its match over Malaga earlier in the day, and Atletico would close the game on its rivals to just three points. A tie obviously would keep the two squads six points apart, but Real would then be tied on points at the top wth Barcelona, setting up an even bigger battle in Catalonia coming up Dec. 3rd!
LSB PREDICTION:
Los Rojiblancos will come out firing on all cylinders, feeding off of the energy produced from inside the stadium and will get out to an early 1-0 lead courtesy of a cross from Filipe Luis to Antoine Griezmann. But that goal will ultimately be cancelled out by a a header from Sergio Ramos off of a set piece in the late stages. The continuos waves of balls into the box will be too much for Godin and company to keep a clean sheet. 1-1 DRAW