The Madrid derby takes centre-stage on Saturday in La Liga, as Real Madrid host Atletico Madrid in what promises to be another high-octane encounter.
Where to Watch Live
The Madrid derby is set for an 8 pm local time (11.30 pm IST) start with live coverage on Star Sports 2 and Star Sports HD2 in India. The match can also be watched via live streaming online in India HERE. Catch the action in the UK on Sky Sports 5, with the option to live stream the match online HERE or HERE.
Viewers in the US and Canada can watch Real's first La Liga game on Bein Sports USA and Bein Sports Canada respectively, while the Bernabeu encounter can also be live streamed HERE. Audience in the Middle East and North Africa can catch the action via live streaming HERE, while South Africa and Sub Saharan Africa viewers can do the same HERE.
Atletico Madrid will go into the match against their crosstown rivals having already picked up a victory, albeit over two legs, in the Spanish Super Cup to kick-off the domestic season, but Diego Simeone believes this game will be completely different.
"I think it will be a different match," said the Atletico Madrid manager to the club's official website. "When you're starting, at the end of the preseason, you have a certain physical condition in the first match, but today, the players are better than they were.
"I imagine a strong, intense and fast Madrid. A team with important players and we have to be able to counter that, taking advantage of situations that take us closer to the result we want."
Neither team have made perfect starts to their season, with Atletico Madrid picking up four points from their first two games, while Real Madrid have already lost one match.
A lot more consistency will be required from both teams, considering the early season form that Barcelona have showed with the Lionel-Messi led side picking up their third straight win courtesy a 2-0 result over Athletic Bilbao earlier this season.
Real Madrid, in particular, have looked a little disjointed, struggling to cope without two of their most important players from last season – Angel Di Maria and Xabi Alonso.
Cristiano Ronaldo's injury worries have also not helped, but the Real Madrid superstar is expected to feature against the La Liga champions. "He's firing on all cylinders," assured manager Carlo Ancelotti of his talisman. "He's trained very well this week and is in optimum condition.
"There are no issues. He plays when he is right and not tired, without risk of an injury. He has had a couple of small issues, but his performances over the past year have been good because he scored a lot of goals.
"There's no chronic injury problem. Last year he had a knee tendon problem, but he is over it now, and in this season he has had a muscle issue, but is not chronically injured. He has to do prevention work, like all players, but in this he is the number one."
Real Madrid have struggled to break down Atletico's ranks in their recent matches, with that epic Champions League triumph also coming only thanks to a late, late equaliser from Sergio Ramos, which then took the match to extra time.
With the likes of Ronaldo, Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema, Toni Kroos and James Rodriguez in the lineup, though, Real should not have too many problems creating chances, even against Atletico's well-drilled backline, and it will boil down to if they can take those chances.
"We want to play a good game and get back to playing well, with intensity, like we normally do," added Ancelotti.
