Three talking points ahead of Atletico Madrid vs Real Madrid | La Liga GW8 | OneFootball

The much-awaited Madrid derby kicks off on Sunday night in what promises to be yet another action-packed 90 minutes of football. After all, the clash between Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid has been a treat to the eyes in recent years.

Both teams have scored in the past seven games against each other with Real Madrid not keeping a clean sheet in their last eight derby clashes. If anything, the statistic only goes on to show how hard the two teams battle it out on the field.

The derby tomorrow will be at the Civitas Metropolitano, a venue where Real Madrid have won only two of their last eight outings. Last season, in fact, they fell to a 3-1 defeat courtesy of a Alvaro Morata brace and a goal from Antoine Griezmann.

Madrid Universal brings you three talking points ahead of Atletico Madrid vs Real Madrid.

The long-awaited revenge

Real Madrid last season was an unstoppable force of nature. Los Blancos were seemingly invincible and did not lose a single game en route to the UEFA Champions League title.

Their splendid run in La Liga, moreover, involved just one defeat which came against Atletico Madrid at Civitas Metropolitano early in the season. In fact, the team’s run in the Copa del Rey also came to an end at the hands of Diego Simeone’s side.

It is not a coincidence that the Merengues’ only two defeats of the campaign came against their local rivals. All four of the Madrid derby games played last season were, after all, tightly contested with Los Blancos winning just once.

Since the defeat to the Colchoneros in La Liga a year back, Carlo Ancelotti’s men have completed the ‘perfect’ cycle and have remained unbeaten in La Liga so far.

Tomorrow they will have a chance to set that right and conquer the only stadium that left them stunned last term and will thus look to exact revenge.

Major star missing

No Mbappe for Real Madrid. (Photo by Denis Doyle/Getty Images)

After making a good start to life in La Liga, Kylian Mbappe asked to be substituted in Real Madrid’s last game owing to some discomfort he felt in his thigh.

His setback was initially played down as a minor one with outlets reporting that the player may well be available for the derby. Tests, however, revealed that the player will face up to three weeks on the sidelines.

Mbappe’s injury couldn’t have come at a worse time for Real Madrid, for the player is now completely ruled out for the biggest game of the campaign yet.

With the Frenchman unavailable, the team lack a finisher in front of the goal to put away the chances created for the rest of the options in the forward department are all better placed as wingers.

While Ancelotti will be disturbed by the new signing’s unavailability, there is also good news in the form of Eduardo Camavinga’s return.

The Frenchman, who was injured ahead of the UEFA Super Cup, has been declared fit and will be available at the manager’s disposal for the all-important clash in what comes as a major boost.

Tactical tweak expected

Faced with the big aforementioned changes in his squad, Real Madrid’s coach is reportedly contemplating a massive change in formation for the derby tomorrow.

The men in white have played in a 4-3-3 system this season with the emphasis being on the three forwards Vinicius Jr, Rodrygo Goes and Kylian Mbappe.

The former PSG star’s injury, however, opens up the possibility of shifting back to a 4-4-2 diamond system that gave the team great success last season and tomorrow could be the night Ancelotti makes the change.

Real Madrid are thus expected to feature with only Vinicius Jr. and Rodrygo in the frontline while Jude Bellingham is expected to return to his role in the attacking midfield.

Of the three remaining midfield positions, Aurelien Tchouameni and Federico Valverde are undisputed starters as the pivot and interior respectively and will play at Civitas Metropolitano.

The second interior on the night remains undecided and all boils down to Camavinga’s fitness.

If the French phenom is fit enough to start, the manager will not hesitate to throw the newly-recovered youngster into the deep end. The more likely possibility, however, is for Luka Modric to start and Camavinga to come on as a substitute.