The heated rivalry between Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid opens another chapter on Saturday, as the two La Liga power clashes for the first time since the start of the new season at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu in Madrid, Spain. (Live Stream starts at 2:00 p.m (EST) on Skygo, BeIN Sports, BeIn Sports USA and Sports Stream / Box Scores and Gamecast on ESPN FC)
Real Madrid is undoubtedly the kings of European football, having won the top prize in the continent when they defeated their intra-city rival in the final earlier this year. However, the Los Blancos seems to be a little bit lost this early, and the arrival of the latest Galactico could be the culprit.
Despite the star power of genius midfielders James Rodriguez and Toni Kross, Real Madrid is not playing to their potential so far. For example in their last game against Real Sociedad, manager Carlo Ancelloti's man blew a two-goal lead and let the home team win the match from behind.
Saturday's clash will Atletico should provide Real Madrid a chance to gauge their current standings after a weeklong break. A victory in their home court would surely calm some unstable air at Bernabeu, while a loss could be something alarming with regards to the state of the ball club.
Atletico Madrid has been playing well so far, despite the departure of leading goalscorer Diego Costa to Chelsea this offseason. Their gritty tactics plus excellent play from their attacking unit makes them dangerous against any opponent even star-studded squad like Real and Barcelona.
Since claiming the domestic league title and going all the way to UEFA Champions League final last year, Atletico players have been fearless on the pitch that even defender JuanFran isn't scared of taking on the likes of Crisitiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale and Kareem Benzema anytime of the day.
"Every year, the rivalry is more intense and more beautiful. When we are with the Spanish national team, we speak and these are the games everyone likes to play," JuanFran told the press via ESPN FC.
"We are eager to play then. It will be decided by the details. In the Super Cup we had the chance to win, there were minimal details and we took advantage of them.
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