Atletico Madrid is set to host city rivals Real Madrid<\/a> at Riyadh Air Metropolitano on Sunday in their next La Liga<\/a> fixture, which will be their last before the first international break of the season.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Atletico Madrid enters the Madrid derby with significant selection headaches. Manager Diego Simeone is sweating over the fitness of key forwards, with Juli\u00e1n \u00c1lvarez ruled a major doubt due to a persistent muscular strain that sidelined him for the last two fixtures.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Compounding these worries, both Alexander S\u00f8rloth and Pablo Barrios are battling muscular problems and face late fitness tests to determine their availability for the bench.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n In their absence, Jonathan David<\/a> is fully expected to lead the frontline after his impressive goal-scoring performance against Osasuna.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n He will likely be supported in a fluid attacking trident by Lee Kang-in and Alex Baena. Simeone will rely heavily on this makeshift frontline to breach their rivals\u2019 defence while maintaining his trademark compact defensive shape.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The visitors will definitely be without key defensive and attacking components, as \u00c9der Milit\u00e3o, Rodrygo, and Ferland Mendy have all been officially ruled out with muscle, knee, and hip injuries, respectively.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n On a more positive note, midfielder Jude Bellingham<\/a> has fully recovered from his recent ailment and is projected to return straight to the starting lineup to inject creativity.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n To counteract Atl\u00e9tico\u2019s wing-backs, Mourinho is tipped to make a tactical adjustment by starting Denzel Dumfries at right-back ahead of Trent Alexander-Arnold, aiming to provide greater physical presence and defensive stability alongside Ibrahima Konat\u00e9 and Dean Huijsen, while Kylian Mbapp\u00e9<\/a> spearheads the attack.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Atl\u00e9tico Madrid has bounced back brilliantly following consecutive defeats against Athletic Club (3\u20130) and Liverpool (2\u20131) in early September. Diego Simeone\u2019s squad responded with tremendous goal-scoring intensity, securing a dominant 3\u20130 away victory over Real Sociedad before crushing Osasuna 4\u20130 at home. This sudden offensive surge, yielding seven goals in two matches without conceding, provides massive structural momentum and confidence ahead of the high-stakes derby clash.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Real Madrid has displayed elite resilience, recovering rapidly from a shock 1\u20130 La Liga defeat against Real Betis on 4 September. Jos\u00e9 Mourinho\u2019s team reeled off three consecutive hard-fought victories across all competitions. They defeated Inter Milan 2\u20131 in the UEFA Champions League before securing a comprehensive 4\u20131 league win over Rayo Vallecano and grinding out a 3\u20132 triumph against Elche to remain right on pace.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Atletico Madrid:<\/strong> Oblak; Llorente, Romero, Le Normand, Grimaldo; Lee, Koke, Cardoso, Baena; David, Lookman<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Real Madrid:<\/strong> Courtois; Dumfries, Konate, Huijsen, Cucurella; Valverde, Tchouameni; Guler, Bellingham, Vinicius; Mbappe<\/p>\n<\/div>\n In the United Kingdom, you can watch the Madrid derby live on Premier Sports 1.<\/p>\n<\/div>\nAtletico Madrid vs Real Madrid\u00a0\u2013 Match preview and team news<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n
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