Atletico Madrid vs Real Madrid – Predicted lineup and team news

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The Football Faithful

·20 September 2026

Atletico Madrid vs Real Madrid – Predicted lineup and team news

Atletico Madrid will welcome city neighbours Real Madrid to the Riyadh Air Metropolitano this Sunday for their upcoming La Liga match, which serves as the final league game before the season’s first international break.

Atlético Madrid have recovered impressively after suffering back-to-back losses to Athletic Club (3–0) and Liverpool (2–1) in the opening days of September. Diego Simeone’s side answered with a sharp rise in attacking output, first producing a commanding 3–0 win away at Real Sociedad and then overwhelming Osasuna 4–0 on home soil. This abrupt scoring explosion, which delivered seven goals across two games while keeping a clean sheet in each, has given the team considerable structural momentum and belief heading into the high-pressure derby.

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Atletico Madrid team news

Atletico Madrid go into the Madrid derby facing notable selection dilemmas. Head coach Diego Simeone is concerned about the condition of important attackers, with Julián Álvarez listed as a serious doubt because of an ongoing muscular strain that kept him out of the previous two matches.

Adding to these concerns, both Alexander Sørloth and Pablo Barrios are dealing with muscular issues and will undergo late fitness checks to see if they can even make the bench.

With those players potentially unavailable, Jonathan David is widely expected to spearhead the attack following his standout goal-scoring display against Osasuna.

He is likely to be flanked in a flexible front three by Lee Kang-in and Alex Baena. Simeone will depend heavily on this improvised attacking unit to break down their rivals’ defence while preserving his signature compact defensive organisation.