No other football club on this planet possesses the legacy of European success like Real Madrid. When it comes to the Champions League/UEFA competition/European Cup, the emblem of excellence is the Real Madrid CF badge. In order to add another chapter to that prolific history book, they’ll have to show some resilience and ambition. They now head across town, to visit Atletico Madrid, holding just a one goal advantage in their UCL Rd. of 16 tie. There is a lot of good news on the injury/availability front though: Jude Bellingham is back from suspension.
Also, Los Blancos only have three injury absences for this midweek match: Dani Ceballos, Dani Carvajal and Eder Militao.
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
Starting XI Predictions for both sides: go here
Google’s Result Probability: Real Madrid 35% Draw 27% Atletico Madrid 38%
El Derbi Madrileño Team News
Bellingham is really the engine, the sparkplug, and the true catalyst that makes the Real Madrid motor hum. So having Bellingham returning to the upper portion of the middle of the park will be massive. The fitness situation is worse for Atletico Madrid, who saw Clement Lenglet suffer an injury during warmups against Getafe over the weekend.
Additionally, Rodrigo De Paul limped out at half-time, due to a muscular problem.
There is some positive news though- Cesar Azpilicueta is back match fit again, having recovered from injury.
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.