As anybody who supports or works for Real Madrid will tell you, they are more than just a football club. Certainly in continental competition, they are a remarkable phenomenon. Every aspect of this club, including the current team, its history and its supporter base embodies hubris. The infamous saying “Real Madrid doesn’t play finals, they win them” is the perfect example of this phenomenon, and it has been this way since they first won the Spanish top flight league title in 1931-32. Given all that, Atletico Madrid are relishing the opportunity to knock them down a peg.
In fact, all the neutrals in Spanish football will likely be pulling for Atletico as well.
El Derbi Madrileño FYIs
Competition: UEFA Champions League Round of 16, Leg 2/2
Aggregate: Real Madrid leads 2-1.
Kickoff: Wed. March 12, 8pm, Metropolitano, Madrid, Spain
Team News for both sides: go here
Google’s Result Probability: Real Madrid 35% Draw 27% Atletico Madrid 38%
So with all that said, let’s take a look at what the two starting lineups should, or at least could, be for the Capital City Derby.
Starting XI Predictions
Real Madrid
Thibaut Courtois; Federico Valverde, Raul Asencio, Antonio Rudiger, Mendy; Aurelien Tchouameni, Eduardo Camavinga; Rodrygo, Jude Bellingham, Vinicius Jr; Kylian Mbappe
Atletico Madrid
Jan Oblak; Nahuel Molina, Jose Maria Gimenez, Robin Le Normand, Javi Galan; Giuliano Simeone, Marcos Llorente, Rodrigo De Paul, Lino; Julian Alvarez, Antoine Griezmann
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.