Photo by Octavio Passos/Getty Images
Real Madrid will be facing off against bitter rivals Atletico Madrid on Sunday night at the Civitas Metropolitano on Matchday 8 of La Liga.
Los Colchoneros were the only team to beat Real Madrid in the league last season while they also eliminated Carlo Ancelotti’s men from the Copa del Rey.
Leading up to the match tomorrow, Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone spoke about Real Madrid, pointing out that they have lost Toni Kroos this season and are still looking for a player to replace the German legend.
“The opposition have lost a very important player like Kroos, an extraordinary player, admired by all the coaches, and a player that any team needs,” said Simeone.
“They are looking for that player to give them the calm to take advantage of all the attacking power they have,” he added.
However, the Rojiblancos coach stated that he does not expect much to change in terms of how Real Madrid will play, saying:
“I don’t think it’s going to change much from what we saw in the games we played against them. We do have a lot of new players, but I think they’re going to stick with the plan they’ve had.”
Real Madrid will also be without their marquee summer signing Kylian Mbappe for the derby due to injury. But Simeone insisted that Ancelotti has enough options to cope with his absence, saying:
“Knowing the coach, he will look to play with Bellingham as a playmaker, the fourth on the left; with Modric coming on to play behind Rodrygo and Vinicius. I think that’s the way I think our opponents can play.”
