Real Madrid will be bidding to extend their perfect start to the season to seven matches when they head to Wanda Metropolitano on Sunday for the Madrid derby with rivals Atletico Madrid.
Los Blancos currently top the La Liga table, boasting 15 points from their opening five matches, while Atletico are down in seventh, collecting seven points from their opening four games.
Match preview
Seventh spot in Spain's top flight is not quite what Atletico would have had in mind, even at this early stage of the season, but they have a game in hand on 18 of the other 19 sides in the division, as their clash with Sevilla, scheduled for earlier this month, had to be postponed due to bad weather.
Diego Simeone's side opened their season with a 3-1 victory over Granada, before drawing with Real Betis in their second match; a 7-0 win over Rayo Vallecano came at the end of August, but they were on the end of a 3-0 loss to Valencia in the league last weekend.
Atletico were incredibly close to returning to winning ways against Lazio in their Champions League group-stage opener on Tuesday evening, with Pablo Barrios's first-half effort seeing them lead deep into stoppage time, when the home side's goalkeeper Ivan Provedel came up with a stunning leveller.
A defeat for the Red and Whites on Sunday would leave them already 11 points behind Real Madrid in the table, which could be the end of their title hopes before the season has really begun.
Atletico suffered a 2-1 defeat to their rivals in the corresponding match last season, but their only league success in the Madrid derby since February 2016 did come at home, recording a 1-0 victory at Wanda Metropolitano during the 2021-22 campaign.
Real Madrid have not missed a step this season, putting six straight wins on the board in all competitions, including their opening five matches of the 2023-24 La Liga campaign.
Carlo Ancelotti's side have overcome Athletic Bilbao, Almeria, Celta Vigo, Getafe and Real Sociedad in Spain's top flight this far, while they started their Champions League group-stage campaign with a 1-0 victory over Union Berlin on Wednesday night.
Jude Bellingham's last-gasp effort secured all three points for Los Blancos, and the England international has now scored six goals in six appearances during a remarkable start to his career at the club.
Another victory for Real Madrid here would lead them nicely into their next two in the league against Las Palmas and Girona, before the small matter of a trip to Italy to take on Napoli in the Champions League.
The capital giants have not exactly been at their free-flowing best early this season, but they have impressively dealt with injuries to some key players and have shown their character by winning each of their last four matches by the odd goal.
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Team News
Atletico will definitely be without the services of Thomas Lemar, Caglar Soyuncu, Reinildo, Rodrigo De Paul and Barrios for the Madrid derby with the league leaders.
Koke and Memphis Depay face late fitness tests, meanwhile, with the home side potentially receiving a boost in the build-up to kickoff.
Barrios's injury occurred against Lazio during the week, and he could be replaced by Koke if the Spaniard is able to prove his fitness, while Jose Gimenez should also come into the side.
Antoine Griezmann and Alvaro Morata are again expected to operate as the front two for this match, with Samuel Lino retaining his spot as the left-sided wing-back.
Real Madrid, meanwhile, will again be missing Thibaut Courtois and Eder Militao due to long-term knee injuries; Dani Carvajal is also out, as his muscular problem is more serious than first feared.
Arda Guler and Vinicius Junior have both been back in training ahead of this match, and the latter has been named in the squad, having recovered from a hamstring issue.
Lucas Vazquez is set to continue at right-back, with Ancelotti's biggest call expected to arrive in midfield, with a number of players competing for starting positions.
Luka Modric and Toni Kroos could both potentially miss out on spots in the XI, with Federico Valverde, Aurelien Tchouameni and Eduardo Camavinga expected to play behind Bellingham, who has been declared fit after concerns over a stomach problem.
Atletico Madrid possible starting lineup:
Oblak; Savic, Gimenez, Hermoso; Molina, Saul, Llorente, Koke, Lino; Griezmann, Morata
Real Madrid possible starting lineup:
Kepa; Vazquez, Rudiger, Alaba, F Garcia; Valverde, Tchouameni, Camavinga; Bellingham; Rodrygo, Joselu
We say: Atletico Madrid 1-1 Real Madrid
The form book points to an away victory here, and it would not be a surprise to see Real Madrid secure another three points. Ancelotti's side have not exactly been blowing teams away, though, and Simeone will have a plan for this match, so we are backing the points to be shared in Sunday's Madrid derby.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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