The Madrid derby is back this Saturday, 27 September 2025, at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano, and it already feels like a season-defining clash. Real Madrid are cruising, six wins from six in La Liga, Putting four goals past Levante thanks to kylian Mbappe Brace, while Atlético Madrid are still finding their rhythm with just two victories. The nine-point gap between both sides after only six rounds tells its own story, but derbies rarely follow the script.
Softfootball reports that RealMadrids’s boss Xabi Alonso has hit the ground running, his team scoring freely almost three goals per match away from home in recent weeks. Diego Simeone, on the other hand, has been forced to rely on moments of grit and resilience. His side fought back to beat Rayo Vallecano 3-2 in midweek, thanks to a hat-trick from Julián Álvarez, and that comeback might be the spark they desperately needed before facing their fiercest rivals.
Team News
Atlético Madrid are still sweating on the fitness of Thiago Almada, who has missed four consecutive games with injury. Simeone may again turn to Álvarez, with the Argentine hailing his compatriot as the best player in his team, as he is expected to start as the focal point in attack, with support expected from Griezmann and Llorente.
After his heroics against Rayo, Atleti posted a video on the team’s official X account of Julian Alvarez asking for the match ball.
Watch the video below:
For Real Madrid, Trent Alexander-Arnold remains sidelined. But with Vinícius Júnior, Bellingham and Rodrygo all firing, Alonso has plenty of firepower at his disposal. Thibaut Courtois should be back between the sticks after a heavy midweek workload.
Possible Lineups
Atlético Madrid (4-4-2):
Oblak; Llorente, Le Normand, Lenglet, Hancko; Simeone, Koke, Barrios, Gallagher; Alvarez, Sorloth
Real Madrid (4-3-3):
Courtois; Carvajal, Militao, Huijsen, Carreras; Valverde, Tchouameni; Mastantuono, Guler, Vinicius; Mbappe
Softfootball’s Prediction
This game has the potential to be cagey, like many recent derbies. Atlético often start fast — they’ve scored 44% of their La Liga goals this season before the 15th minute — but Real Madrid usually take control by half-time, leading in five of their six league outings so far.
Álvarez’s form at home is remarkable (all eight of his last home goals coming against teams starting with “R”), but Real’s consistency and attacking sharpness makes them slight favourites.
Prediction: Atlético Madrid 1–2 Real Madrid
Haha, Softfootballs prediction is way too serious! Calling Real Madrid slight favourites? Please, its the Madrid derby! Lets stick to the tried-and-true formula: whichever team shows up less tired wins. 😂 Cant wait to see Mbappe try and break down that supposedly cagey Atleti defence… assuming Courtois isnt glued to the bar after that midweek workload! Álvarez wants the match ball? More like he needs a map to Vinícius goal-scoring route! Go Atleti, go! Or maybe just dont lose by too many goals? The script is already written, isnt it? 😉