Simeone's Opportunity to Halt Ancelotti & Defend La Liga Title: Atletico Madrid vs Real MadridCarlos Volcano

With FC Barcelona off to an impressive start this season, both Madrid-based clubs are keenly aware of the importance of winning this match to keep up with the leaders. Real Madrid comes into the match on a winning streak, having secured victory in their last four league games. On the other hand, Atlético de Madrid has had a more erratic run of results in recent weeks.

Atlético de Madrid are the last team to beat Real Madrid 

Making this match especially intriguing is the fact that Real Madrid only lost to one opponent across the entirety of last season, and that opponent was Atlético de Madrid. Their only LALIGA EA SPORTS defeat of last term was the 3-1 loss at the hands of Los Rojiblancos at the Estadio Cívitas Metropolitano. Since then, Real Madrid have gone undefeated in league play. The only other game Los Blancos lost last season was also against Diego Simeone’s side, a 4-2 extra time defeat in the Copa del Rey. 

Atlético de Madrid want to end Real Madrid’s streak once again, while Real Madrid will be seeking a rare victory at the Estadio Cívitas Metropolitano, having only won there on one of their past five visits, a 2-1 win back on September 18th 2022. After losing twice at their neighbours’ home since then, once in LALIGA EA SPORTS and once in the Copa del Rey, Real Madrid hope to take all three points this time and build a gap to their city rivals in the standings. 

The latest duel between Simeone and Ancelotti 

Diego Simeone and Carlo Ancelotti are meeting in this derby once again, having faced off on 10 previous occasions in LALIGA EA SPORTS. It’s the Argentinian who has the head-to-head advantage, having won five of these 10 matches against his Italian counterpart, while there have been two Real Madrid wins and three draws. Across all competitions they have faced each other 22 times and have secured eight wins each, in addition to six draws. 

Both coaches have developed their own style over the years, although in the case of Simeone he has evolved from a 4-2-3-1 to the 5-3-2 in use currently. It’s an asymmetrical formation, as the wing-backs operate in different ways and Antoine Griezmann is free to move as he pleases. Even still, this remains a typical Simeone team in terms of intensity, drive and fight. Without these characteristics, it’s hard to become a regular starter at Atlético de Madrid.

As for Carlo Ancelotti, he is overseeing a mini transition as Toni Kroos has departed and Kylian Mbappé has arrived. This has required a shake-up of the formation, especially with the loss of a midfielder commander like Kroos. As Ancelotti himself has admitted in a press conference, the team will have more “rock and roll”, playing with less control but posing greater danger in attack. 

It is expected that Ancelotti will use a 4-3-3 system in the derby, with an attack that should terrify most opponents. But, Atlético de Madrid are not any regular opponent and can boast the likes of Antoine Griezmann, Julián Alvarez and Alexander Sørloth in their own front line. As such, this should be a spectacular back-and-forth derby as two brilliant teams give their all to try to reign supreme in the Spanish capital.