Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid will write another chapter in their legendary rivalry in the second leg of their UEFA Champions League Round of 16 tie on Wednesday.
Real came out on top 2-1 in the first leg at the Santiago Bernabéu last Tuesday, thanks to an early second-half goal by Brahim Diaz, who started in place of the suspended Jude Bellingham.
Los Blancos opened the scoring in just the fourth minute of play through Rodrygo, before Julian Alvarez equalized half an hour later with a wonderful curling strike.
Carlo Ancelotti's squad beat Rayo Vallecano 2-1 in La Liga action over the weekend, going ahead 2-0 in the first half through Kylian Mbappé and Vinicius Jr. before Rayo pulled one back at the stroke of halftime.
The win lifts Real into a tie with FC Barcelona for top spot in the league table, although the Catalans have the advantage on goal differential and have a game in hand.
Atleti, meanwhile, had a chance to leapfrog their two rivals and claim first place with a win, but fell 2-1 to Getafe on Sunday. Los Colchoneros went ahead through an Alexander Sorloth penalty with just 15 minutes left to play, but Angel Correa's straight red card in the 88th minute completely turned the tide of the game.
Mauro Arambarri scored twice within four minutes to give his side the dramatic win at the Coliseo Alfonso Perez.
Where to Watch Real Madrid vs Atlético Madrid
Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid players
When: Wednesday, March 12 – 4PM ET / 1PM PT
Where: Riyadh Air Metropolitano, Madrid
Where to watch in the United States: CBS Sports, Paramount+
Where to watch in Canada: DAZN
Real Madrid vs Atlético Madrid Betting Odds
brahim diaz mbappe
Real Madrid to win: +165
Draw: +250
Atlético Madrid to win: +155
Both teams to score (Yes/No): -172 / +134
Over/Under 3.5 goals: +184 / -230
Kylian Mbappé first goalscorer: +500
Julian Alvarez anytime goalscorer: +200
Vinícius Jr to score or assist: +135
Antoine Griezmann to score or assist: +125
Odds courtesy of FanDuel.
Atlético Madrid Projected Lineup vs Real Madrid
Diego Simeone
Simeone's teamsheet on Wednesday should look very similar to the one that traveled across town last week.
Conor Gallagher could be preferred to Rodrigo De Paul as Atleti look for a little more bite in the midfield.
Antoine Griezmann should once again start alongside Julian Alvarez in attack, while Robin Le Normand could come in for Clement Lenglet at center-back.
Atlético Madrid predicted lineup (4-4-2): Jan Oblak (GK) – Marcos Llorente, Jose Maria Gimenez, Robin Le Normand, Javi Galan – Giuliano Simeone, Pablo Barrios, Conor Gallagher, Samuel Lino – Antoine Griezmann, Julian Alvarez.
Injuries: Koke (leg).
Real Madrid Projected Lineup vs Atlético Madrid
Real Madrid Players
Ancelotti will be delighted to have Bellingham back in the squad after the Englishman missed the first leg due to yellow card accumulation.
The midfielder should be penciled into the middle of the park, likely playing alongside Luka Modrić and Aurelien Tchouameni.
Brazilian duo Rodrygo and Vinicius Jr. will look to run riot against Atleti's defensive line, as they did on their home turf last week.
Real Madrid predicted lineup (4-3-3): Thibaut Courtois (GK) – Federico Valverde, Antonio Rüdiger, Raul Asencio, Ferland Mendy – Luka Modric, Aurelien Tchouameni, Jude Bellingham – Rodrygo, Kylian Mbappé, Vinicius Jr.
Injuries: Dani Ceballos (leg), Eder Militao (ACL), Dani Carvajal (knee), Jesus Vallejo (thigh).
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