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While there's been so much attention on Vinicius Junior's impressive Samba dance steps, let's unpack the El Derbi de Madrid for you, the fans.
The defending champions Rea Madrid have won all their LaLiga Santander matches so far, but they did lose on their previous visit to the Cívitas Metropolitano.
The first Madrid Derby of the 2022/23 season arrives at a crucial moment in the campaign. After five rounds of action, champions Real have won every game so far and have 15 points to their name, whereas Atlético de Madrid have 10 points after three wins, one draw and one defeat.
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Diego Simeone knows Los Colchoneros can’t afford to slip any further behind their city rivals, so they’ll give their all when the ball gets rolling on Super Sunday night.
Not only will Atleti set out to close the gap between them and city rivals Real, but they’ll also hope to be the ones to end their impeccable winning run.
Los Blancos have a 100% record this campaign, having won the first five fixtures of a new league season for the first time since 2009/10 and have looked unstoppable, picking up where they left off last season.
However, their last defeat in the competition came in this very fixture in the LaLiga last season - that was on Matchday 35, when Carlo Ancelotti’s men had already lifted the trophy but lost 1-0 to a Yannick Carrasco penalty at theMetropolitano.
Atleti’s first Madrid Derby victory at their new home
That Madrid Derby victory towards the end of last season was Atlético’s first against Real Madrid since moving to their new stadium in 2017. They’ve now hosted their neighbours in north-east Madrid on five occasions, but have just that one win, coming after three draws and one defeat.
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“We really wanted to achieve this first derby victory at the Metropolitano, earning the three points for our fans,” Atleti captain Koke said after the victory in May. “Our fans will remember that effort and the way we pushed from the very beginning. This was about more than the three points.”
Now, having already experienced a Madrid Derby celebration in their new home, Atlético de Madrid will come into this Sunday’s game feeling extra confident and extra motivated to repeat that feeling.
The latest edition of Simeone vs Ancelotti
In Diego Simeone and Carlo Ancelotti, the Madrid Derby boasts two of the very best coaches in world football. The Argentine and the Italian have become legends at their respective clubs, partly because of their results in this fixture.
For example, Ancelotti’s 2013/14 Real Madrid side won La Décima, the club’s 10th European Cup, against Atleti, while Simeone’s most impressive Madrid Derby win was the 4-0 over the Italian’s squad in the 2014/15 LaLiga Santander season.
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Overall, they’ve faced each other 15 times, with Simeone edging the head-to-head with six victories compared to Ancelotti’s five victories and four draws.
As well as those two elite coaches, so many of the world’s best players will also be involved in this one. João Félix and Vinícius are both 22 years of age and already leading their teams’ attacks, and they’ll be trying to get the better of the world-class goalkeepers that are Jan Oblak and Thibaut Courtois, arguably the two best shot-stoppers in the game.
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Given the three points' importance, this promises to be a thrilling battle when Atlético de Madrid and Real Madrid meet on Sunday night.
This is the final LaLiga Santander match before the September international break, so both sets of players will approach this match ready to put every ounce of sweat into this rivalry match.
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