The La Liga championship is far from over, although after the Madrid derby there will be 15 rounds left to decide the Spanish championship title, Real and Atletico have taken a firm stand. The big match is scheduled for tonight at 21 pm at the “Santiago Bernabeu”, and the stakes are dominance in Madrid and the first starting position for the last 15 rounds of the championship.
Real Madrid enters the derby as the leader with just one point more than the "Colchoneros", Barcelona is still in the game with four points less than their fiercest rival. And is Barcelona really Real Madrid's fiercest rival?
Judging by the prelude to the Madrid derby, it's Atletico! Both camps are waging war on all sides, through the media, social networks... Real Madrid was the first to go on the offensive, uncompromisingly using their television, putting pressure on the referees, and not even the overpasses in the Spanish capital were spared.
"Eternos Segundones" (forever second-rate), a provocative banner was displayed by "merengues" fans well before dawn yesterday.
Despite dominating not only Spanish but also world football, Real Madrid is not indifferent to the upcoming clash with Atletico. Real TV has been persistently broadcasting all controversial refereeing decisions to the detriment of its club since the 2020/2021 season. Real Madrid is also threatened with fines...
- They are presenting themselves as victims, which is inappropriate and not true. Real want to demean the competition, they are out of their minds! Carlo Angelotti, be calm... The Spanish championship is not fixed, and we all want better refereeing and have been asking for it for a long time. But interestingly, Real, who are now so worried, were part of the board of directors of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) until November 2023, and did not say a word - not without anger at the reactions of the Real coach, he reacted Javier Tebas, president of La Liga.
93 is the jersey number that Real Madrid legend Sergio Ramos has been given at his new club - Monterrey in Mexico. The number is not "random" - it is an allusion to the goal that Ramos scored against Atletico in the 2014 Champions League final, in the 93rd minute to make it 1-1. Real then won 4-1 in extra time. And it is part of the overture that is related to tonight's big Madrid derby
Well, Athletics coach Diego Simeone He refused to be "drawn into" that story.
- I am maximally focused only on the team's preparation for the match. Maybe you need as many answers as possible, not some controversial details that usually accompany big matches, but you haven't found an interlocutor. I am focused on football. I don't think at all about what the criteria will be, only about how we should play. I expect a fantastic match, we are playing against a team of enormous quality - El Ćolo put the ball down.
The Atletico coach was the first in La Liga history to manage 500 games for one club, celebrating his anniversary with a win against Mallorca, and then beating Getafe in the Copa del Rey. Real Madrid lost their last league game away to Espanyol, but then won in Leganes in the Copa del Rey. There have been no winners in the last three derbies, although Atletico won the Copa del Rey after extra time - 4-2.
Simeone had no comment on the "provocations" from the opposing camp, but the club was exceptionally inventive on TV Real's broadcasts, with a two-part comic on its Twitter - "Derby: Basic Instructions".
In the first comic strip - "Plan for the Week", it says: 1. Conduct a good physical training; 2. Get a massage before the game; 3. Make a detailed analysis of the opponent; 4. Once again, put pressure on the referees with your TV channel."
On the second page are instructions: 1. Keep the field in good condition; 2. Test the stadium lighting; 3. Prepare the locker room; 4. Use the army of friends in the media to spread your nonsense”.
That no one in either opposing camp in Madrid cares how the derby ends is best indicated by the number chosen by the legendary captain of the "merengues" in his new club - Sergio Ramos He was given the number 93 jersey in Monterrey yesterday. This was for the public reason that he deprived Atletico of victory in the Champions League final with a goal in the 93rd minute.
Bonus video:
