Real Madrid will welcome neighbours Atletico Madrid to the Bernabeu on Wednesday for the highly anticipated second leg of their Champions League quarter-final clash. Following a scoreless draw in the first leg at the Vicente Calderon, it's difficult to know which side has the upper hand in this tie, and Wednesday's encounter could be a rather cagey affair.
"I don't think Atletico will be in a rush to score and neither will we," Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti said on Tuesday, per Marca, indicating that the match is likely be a test of patience and defensive organisation.
For the hosts, the task has been made considerably more difficult due to an array of injuries. On Saturday, Gareth Bale and Luka Modric left Real Madrid's clash with Malaga and will both miss the eighth Derbi madrileno of the season. Marca has also reported that Karim Benzema will miss the match due to a sprained ligament in his right knee, while left-back Marcelo is unavailable through suspension.
Replacing that quartet will most likely be Fabio Coentrao, Asier Illarramendi, Isco and Javier Hernandez, who should line up in a formation Ancelotti is expected to switch to a 4-4-2.
Atletico Madrid, meanwhile, are facing far fewer headaches in the lead up to this second leg and will carry the confidence built from their dominant, seven-game unbeaten streak against Real Madrid this season.
After missing Saturday's 2-1 victory over Deportivo La Coruna, Mario Mandzukic is expected to return to the XI, with manager Diego Simeone expressing his confidence the Croatian will be fit.
"We had a training session yesterday with two groups where we were making changes, and he [Mandzukic] was fine," Simeone said on Tuesday (via the Daily Mail). "We now have another training session where we expect him to be OK, and I will base my plan, which I have fairly clearly in mind, around that."
Should the striker prove his fitness, Simeone will only be forced into one change, with the suspended Mario Suarez likely to be replaced by Tiago.
The Argentinian's only other decision will be whether to use Guilherme Siqueira or Jesus Gamez at left-back.
Date: Wednesday, April 22
Time: 7:45 p.m. BST / 2:45 p.m. EDT / 8:45 p.m. local
Venue: Estadio Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
TV Info: Sky Sports (UK), Fox Sports (U.S.)
Live Stream: Sky Go (UK), Fox Sports Go (U.S.)
Form Lines
Last 6 Results in All Competitions (most recent first) Real Madrid Atletico Madrid
W: 3-1 vs. Malaga W: 2-1 vs. Deportivo La Coruna
D: 0-0 vs. Atletico Madrid D: 0-0 vs. Real Madrid
W: 3-0 vs. Eibar D: 2-2 vs. Malaga
W: 2-0 vs. Rayo Vallecano W: 2-0 vs. Real Sociedad
W: 9-1 vs. Granada W: 2-0 vs. Cordoba
L: 1-2 vs. Barcelona W: 2-0 vs. Getafe
WhoScored.com
Players to Watch
Throughout Real Madrid's run to La Decima last season, Ancelotti consistently opted for Fabio Coentrao on the left side of his defence, clearly in the belief the Portuguese brought far greater reliability to the back four than Marcelo.
But injuries and indifferent form have derailed Coentrao's campaign in 2014-15, limiting him to just six combined starts in La Liga and the Champions League.
Now, however, after just four appearances this calendar year and without a minute of playing time in more than a month, the left-back is set to be thrust into the heat of a quarter-final battle with Atleti.
How quickly can he get up to speed?
For the visitors, Tiago, like Coentrao, is another player set to make his first contribution to this quarter-final tie in Wednesday's second leg.
Interestingly, the veteran midfielder has been involved in some crucial moments in the duels between these teams this season, having scored the opening goals in the pair of league meetings.
It's also quite remarkable that Tiago, one of Simeone's midfield anchors, is among Atleti's most prolific goalscorers in 2014-15 with five strikes across the duration of the season.
Another such blow could prove decisive.
Key Battle
Can Javier Hernandez cause any trouble for Diego Godin and Miranda?
When you look at the scarcity of playing time for the Mexican this season, as well as the fact he's barely played a hour of football against heavyweight opponents, it's hard to envisage him doing so.
But Real Madrid need him to. Hernandez needs to buzz around Atleti's central pair. He needs to press. Chase balls down. Compete in the air. Win the 50-50s.
If he doesn't, the visitors' defence will be hard to breach. But if he can be a nuisance to Godin and Miranda, if he can either create or capitalise on a half-chance, he might just be an unlikely source of the telling contribution Real Madrid require.
Odds (via Odds Shark)
Real Madrid: 10-11
Draw (at 90 minutes): 13-5
Atletico Madrid: 7-2
Article Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2438043-real-madrid-vs-atletico-madrid-team-news-preview-live-stream-and-tv-info
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