A Supercopa de España edition of the Madrid Derby.
Atlético de Madrid will look to rebound from Sunday’s frustrating draw in the Basque Country as Los Colchoneros travel to Saudi Arabia to face heated rivals Real Madrid in a 10 p.m. local kickoff on Thursday.
Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but Atlético enter this match coming off yet another aggravating result away from home. While this is not a “true” road fixture, Atlético must still find answers to their struggles outside the welcoming arms of the Metropolitano. Los Rojiblancos earned just 13 of a possible 30 points away from home in LaLiga during 2025 and posted a 2-0-3 record away from home in the Champions League.
A similar cold spell has plagued Julián Alvarez. In LaLiga, the Argentine has managed just two goals and one assist across his last 12 appearances, and he has not scored a non-penalty league goal since late September. La Araña has also failed to find the net in an away LaLiga match since matchday one in August.
The silver lining is that every player endures dips in form and often requires only the right moment to reignite. Alvarez has long shown a knack for rising to big occasions and has made something of a habit of scoring against Real Madrid of late; he bagged a sensational brace against Los Blancos in Atleti’s 5-2 win against them in September.
Real Madrid enter the match coming off a thrashing of Real Betis, which featured a hat trick from young striker Gonzalo García. The unfortunate news for Los Blancos is that Kylian Mbappé will not play. The Frenchman scored the opening goal against Atlético in their last meeting and has been on a goalscoring tear of late, netting 11 goals in his last eight matches.
Outside of Mbappé, Real Madrid will be without Éder Militão, Dani Carvajal and Trent Alexander-Arnold, who are out injured. Brahim Díaz is on international duty with Morocco at the Africa Cup of Nations.
There has been mixed feedback from Madrid fans regarding the new head man, Xabi Alonso. Madrid started the campaign hot, but results and performances began to turn in the last weeks of 2025. Against top opposition, Real Madrid have wins against Barcelona and Juventus, but also two narrow defeats against Liverpool and Manchester City.
Team news
Los Colchoneros will be without the services of Nico Gonzalez and Clément Lenglet, both of whom are continuing their recovery from injuries sustained in December. However, Pablo Barrios traveled with the team and is considered a game-time decision as he has healed quicker than initially expected from his calf strain.
Also traveling with the team is Jack Raspadori, who has been very much front and center of transfer news surrounding the club. A few days ago, it seemed his transfer back to Italy was all but sealed, but it seems like they forgot to ask Jack (classic mix-up). Alexander Sørloth is traveling too amid rumors that Juventus want him in a swap deal that would send Jonathan David to Atleti. Al Hilal appears to be monitoring the Norwegian closely as well.
No longer making the trip to Saudi Arabia is Atleti youth product Carlos Martín, who made his loan move to Rayo Vallecano official this week. Outside of the rumors and players missing due to injury, Simeone can expect mostly a full and complete squad.
Possible 11: Oblak; Llorente, Pubill, Giménez, Hancko; Koke, Gallagher, Giuliano, Baena; Sørloth, Alvarez.
Historical matchup
Atlético de Madrid hold a 74–72–151 all-time record in all competitions against Real Madrid. In their last 10 meetings across all competitions, Atlético have posted a 4–4–2 record against Los Merengues, including the 5-3 loss in the 2024 Supercopa de España semifinals.
Most recently, the two sides met at the Metropolitano on Sept. 27, where Los Rojiblancos delivered a resounding 5–2 thrashing, highlighted by the Alvarez brace and additional goals from Sørloth, Robin Le Normand and Antoine Griezmann.
Notable players who have represented both clubs
Marcos Llorente, Juanfran, Álvaro Morata, Thibaut Courtois and José Antonio Reyes.
Category: General Sports
