Madrid’s derby arrives as a seventh-round measure of two sides carrying momentum, with Atlético Madrid and Real Madrid both coming into the meeting after back-to-back league victories.
The decision
Diego Simeone has named an Atlético Madrid side in a 4-4-2 formation for the match at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano, handing the attacking duties to Lee and David. Oblak starts in goal, behind a defence of Pubill, Romero, Hancko and Grimaldo.
Giuliano and Baena are selected on the flanks, while Llorente and Cardoso form the central midfield pairing. Atlético have recently won 3-0 away to Real Sociedad before following that result with a 4-0 home victory over Osasuna.
José Mourinho’s Real Madrid begin with Courtois in goal and a 4-2-3-1 system. Dumfries, Konaté, Huijsen and Cucurella make up the back line, with Valverde and Tchouaméni positioned in midfield.
Güler, Bellingham and Vinicius support Mbappé, who leads the visiting attack. Real Madrid have taken six points from their previous two league outings, defeating Rayo Vallecano 4-1 at the Bernabéu and winning 3-2 at Elche.
- Atlético Madrid: Oblak; Pubill, Romero, Hancko, Grimaldo; Giuliano, Llorente, Cardoso, Baena; Lee, David.
- Real Madrid: Courtois; Dumfries, Konaté, Huijsen, Cucurella; Valverde, Tchouaméni; Güler, Bellingham, Vinicius; Mbappé.
Sunday’s picture
Kick-off is scheduled for 16:15 in Madrid. The derby places two teams in form directly against one another, with Simeone and Mourinho taking their recent league runs into a fixture that can quickly alter the tone of the early Liga season.
