After losing 2-1 at the Santiago Bernabeu, Atletico Madrid will now welcome Real Madrid to the Metropolitano Stadium as the Rojiblancos are ready to host the second leg of the fixture on Wednesday, March 12.
The Madrid Derby has been the featured match in the Champions League for more than a decade now, with both 2013-14 and 2015-16 editions of Europe’s premier competition headlined by the two Madrid clubs.
Know more about the odds, moneyline, picks, and predictions for the crucial UEFA Champions League second leg fixture between Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid here.
Here is when and where to watch the clash between Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid.
Date: 03/12
Time: 8:00 pm GMT
Location: Metropolitano, Madrid
Where to watch: The match can be watched on TNT Sports 3 in the UK, while it will also be available to watch on CBS Sports in the USA
Real Madrid won 2-1 in the first leg as Rodrygo gave the perfect start to the Los Blancos by netting in the fourth minute. Julian Alvarez scored for Diego Simeone’s men to equalize the score on the evening but Brahim Diaz’s winner gave Carlo Ancelotti’s men a slender 1-goal lead heading into the away leg.
Atletico started the competition with a win but lost two consecutive matches which almost derailed their Champions League campaign. Simeone then turned around things with five consecutive wins against Paris St. Germain, Sparta Praha, Slovan Bratislava, Bayer Leverkusen, and RB Salzburg to guarantee automatic qualification for Round of 16.
The Rojiblancos are also embroiled in a three-way race for the La Liga title but lost 2-1 to Getafe on the weekend, which would have dented the squad’s morale. With club captain Koke out with injury, younger players like Conor Gallagher will have to step up in midfield to turn around the tie.
Ancelotti currently has an injury crisis to deal with as Thibaut Courtouis, Antonio Rudiger, and Federico Valverde are doubts for Wednesday’s match while Dani Carvajal and Eder Militao are ruled out with their respective injuries. Unlike Atletico, Real Madrid won on the weekend as Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior scored in the first half to get an easy win and keep their title challenge on track.
Los Blancos also missed out on direct qualification and had to trounce Manchester City 6-3 on aggregate in the intermediary playoff round with Mbappe scoring a hat-trick in the second leg to set up the Madrid Derby in the Round of 16.
The Playoffs aim to facilitate the safest bets for the game. Have a look at the predictions for the game below.
Total goals Over 3.5 @ +180 (MGM Bet): With global superstars like Mbappe, Rodrygo, Vinicius, Antoine Griezmann, Alvarez, and Marcos Llorente on display, we are expecting a lot of goals to be scored at the Metropolitano which has witnessed several legendary Madrid Derbies over the years.
Klyian Mbappe (To Score a Goal @ +155 as per MGM Bet): Mbappe is the joint-leading goal scorer for Real Madrid in the ongoing Champions Leahue campaign with 7 goals and 1 assist and the French forward would love to add to those numbers against arch-rivals Atletico Madrid.
If the 26-year old wins Europe’s biggest trophy in club football in his first season with the Los Blancos, it would signal to all other teams that Mbappe and Real Madrid are a match made in heaven.
Many fans and pundits would be backing Real Madrid who already have an advantage from the first leg and are masters of this competition but Simeone’s genius can pull blindfolds on most teams and Atletico would be hoping to turn around the tie at their home ground.
Our Final Prediction: A 2-2 draw is the most likely outcome from the battle of two of the top sides in Spain with Ancelotti’s men progressing to the quarter-finals.
