There are several Champions League ties this midweek, but Tuesday night’s Madrid derby might be the most anticipated of all of them. Atletico Madrid heads to Real Madrid with a very fit squad. Koke (muscle injury) is their only real fitness concern at this time.
Real are not dealing with too many injuries either, as manager Carlo Ancelotti may be without the services of three players, but only this specific trio of players.
El Derbi Madrileño FYIs
Competition: UEFA Champions League Round of 16, Leg 1/2
Kickoff: Tue. March 4, 8pm, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid, Spain
Starting XI Predictions for both sides: go here
Google’s Result Probability: Real Madrid 51% Draw 26% Atletico Madrid 23%
Madrid Derby Team News
Dani Ceballos (hamstring) is out until sometime in April while Dani Carvajal and Eder Militao won’t be back this season.
Ancelotti leads his men into this match on the heels of a 2-1 loss to Real Betis yesterday. The Italian boss said on Saturday that if his side replicates that performance again on Tuesday, another L awaits.
Ancelotti was candid in his post match media opp.
“If we play like this we will not win,” he said. “It is quite clear, I hope it will serve to wake us up. It seemed that the team was more compact as in previous games.”
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network, the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America and RG. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter.