Real Madrid will look to extend their good record against arch-rivals Atletico Madrid when the two sides meet in the first-leg of their Champions League semi-final at the Santiago Bernabeu on Tuesday night.
Zinedine Zidane’s side have enjoyed the upper hand against their Spanish counterparts and have emerged victorious in four of their seven European matches against Atletico, losing only one, in addition to ending Atletico’s Champions League hopes in each of the last three seasons, which includes two finals in 2014 and 2016 respectively.
Los Blancos will not only be buoyed by their superior form guide against Atletico, but also by their home record in the Champions league which has seen them win 35 of their last 41 games at the Bernabeu, netting 120 goals in the process.
Despite his side getting the better of Atletico in recent times, Zidane insists that past results will have no bearing on the encounter, in addition to speaking of the importance of keeping a clean sheet.
‘What happened in the past is the past. You can’t rely on the past – it’s gone. It was positive for us but now it’s different,’ he said in a pre-match press conference.
‘We’re not favourites. It’s 50-50 as it always in the knockout stages. We’re going to do all we can to win the game tomorrow night. We’re not thinking about the second leg, right now just in tomorrow’s game. Then we’ll see.’
‘We’re not keeping clean sheets like last season, but we’re never going to be able to avoid it. This is football, teams have their weapons and Atlético are no different. The most important thing for us is as always to score once more than the opponents but tomorrow we’ll try to keep a clean sheet and score as it’s a knockout game,’ he added.
Real Madrid will be without defender Pepe and winger Gareth Bale, who are suffering from a fractured rib and a calf injury respectively.
Possible Real Madrid XI: Keylor Navas, Dani Carvajal, Sergio Ramos, Rapheal Varane, Marcelo; Toni Kroos, Casemiro, Luka Modric, Isco, Karim Benzema, Cristiano Ronaldo.
The Champions League serves as Atletico’s last chance to garner some silverware in a disappointing season, which has seen them pose little threat to title-chasers Barcelona and Madrid in the La Liga.
Diego Simeone will be without the services of influential defender Juanfran, who is suffering from a hamstring injury, while Jose Gimenez and Augusto Fernandez will not feature due to adductor and knee injuries respectively.
Atletico will attempt to improve on their most recent result against the eleven-time Champions League winners which saw them play to a 1-1 draw in a La Liga tie in April at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Simeone preferred to keep his cards close to him regarding Juanfran’s replacement and highlighted the threat that Zidane’s side pose in their pursuit of European conquest.
‘They’ll come out strong as they always do at home. They can play in different systems with Isco, James, Asensio. They’ll try and do us harm, especially from the off with the ambiance and the pressure. We need to be strong and be as comfortable as possible. It will be difficult at the beginning above all,’ he said in pre-match comments.
‘I’m not thinking what the exact result will be. It’ll be tight but hopefully, we can take advantage of the spaces we create. We know the return leg is at home and that an away goal for them would be useful. They always play the same way and will attack us at our place.
‘I know who will play at right back tomorrow. Absences are important, but football is a team game and players can be missing but the side make up for that loss – for that we’re a genuine team. It’s like when you play on the street as a kid,’ Simeone concluded.
Possible Atletico Madrid XI: Jan Oblak, Lucas Hernandez, Diego Godin, Stefan Savic, Filipe Luis, Saul Niguez, Koke, Gabi, Yannick Ferreira Carrasco, Antoine Griezmann, Kevin Gameiro.
Photo: EPA/Javier Lizon
