Diego Simeone handed Real Madrid their only league loss of the season in the previous campaign, as his troops ran out 3-1 victors at the Metropolitano.

Despite Real Madrid cruising to their 36th La Liga title in the 2023/24 season, they failed to beat Atletico Madrid in both fixtures – the match at the Bernabeu finished 1-1 courtesy of a late equaliser from Marcos Llorente.

The Madrid derby was contested twice more in domestic cup competitions last season. In the Copa del Rey, the game was tied 2-2 in regulation time, before Antoine Griezmann and Rodrigo Riquelme scored in extra-time to ensure progression for their team.

In the Spanish Super Cup, Real Madrid prevailed, with this game also going to extra-time. In 90 minutes this match finished 3-3, meaning three head-to-head clashes between these two sides were drawn in 90 minutes last season, with the other won by Atletico Madrid.

Since moving to Real Madrid from Borussia Dortmund, Jude Bellingham has committed a foul in four out of four games against Atletico Madrid.

Since returning from injury, his game time has been trending upwards, with 80 minutes against Stuttgart, before 84 minutes against Espanyol and 90 minutes most recently against Alaves.

Bellingham has made a foul in four of his five appearances in all competitions this season, highlighting his willingness to duel in midfield.

Last season, the Englishman had an average of 1.14 fouls per game in La Liga, with at least one foul in eight out of 13 away fixtures.

He should find duels against Conor Gallagher in midfield, who has drawn ten fouls in just four starts as an Atletico Madrid player. He has been fouled twice in all four appearances in midfield.

Eder Militao has formed a nice partnership with Antonio Rudger this season, as he has a much greater responsibility in the absence of Nacho Fernandez.

He has made a foul in seven out of nine appearances in all competitions this season, averaging 1.44 fouls per game. Only Vinicius Junior currency ranks with more infringements for Los Blancos.

Rudiger typically acts as a sweeper in the partnership, which gives Militao more licence to be aggressive and contest duels with the opposition striker, which explains his foul record.

He now draws a tough matchup against the likes of Antoine Griezmann, Alexander Sorloth and Julian Alvarez, who should keep the Brazilian busy over the full course of the 90 minutes.

Expecting Diego Simeone to set his players up in a pragmatic low block, chances might be limited for Real Madrid inside the box.

Zooming out, Aurelien Tchouameni is a player who fancies himself from distance, and is averaging 1.0 shots per game this season. With Camavinga out, he has played the full 90 in his last two games, operating alongside Federico Valverde.

Standing at 185cm, he is also a massive threat from set-pieces, which could be relied upon by Los Blancos to break down a stubborn defensive unit.

Against Stuttgart in the Champions League, Tchouameni managed four shots in total, one being from distance, and the other three were from a corner kick, to highlight his aerial prowess and aggression.

Antoine Griezmann has a fantastic record in this head-to-head matchup against Real Madrid, having registered three goals and an assist in the four clashes last season,

He is relied upon by Diego Simeone in the final third, and currently has the most goals and assists for Atletico so far. Griezmann has accrued two goals and three assists in just seven games already this season.

It was a similar story in the previous campaign, as Griezmann accumulated the most goal involvements for his side – 16 goals and six assists. Only Alvaro Morata came close, with 15 goals and three assists.

Griezmann is likely to be the allocated penalty taker for this game, and will be on free-kicks as an additional bonus.

Federico Valverde has registered a shot in seven out of nine appearances so far for Real Madrid, as he has inherited a consistent role in the heart of midfield after the retirement of Toni Kroos.

All eleven of his shots have come from outside the box, which could be important here as Atletico Madrid are likely to sit deep.

Valverde’s main strength lies in his ability to strike the ball cleanly, which has earned him the responsibility of taking free-kicks. He has already scored from one set-piece this campaign.

Valverde has taken a shot in all ten starts against Atletico Madrid over the course of his career – including seven shots in four games over the course of last season.

Another player with a fantastic shot record in the Madrid derby, is centre-back Antonio Rudiger, who has registered at least two shots in his last five appearances in the derby.

He had an interesting game against Atletico Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup, as he scored from a corner in the 20th minute, before diverting the ball into his own net in the second-half.

The German is an ever-present threat from set-pieces, but also tends to fancy his chances from distance. Of his seven shots in La Liga this season, three have been speculative efforts from well outside the box, with the other four being headed efforts from corners.

Given his record in this head-to-head, his price of 2.0 to register a single shot looks incredibly good value.

Conor Gallagher has seamlessly slotted into the Atletico Madrid midfield, and has already scored two goals for his new club.

He completed the full 90 in each of his last three games, which suggests he should repeat that feat against Real Madrid.

In his four starts so far this term, he has drawn ten infringements, being fouled at least twice in all four games.

His energy and tenacity in midfield makes him a constant target to draw free-kicks, as he is extremely willing in duels and heavily involved in central zones.

He should find duels against the likes of Jude Bellingham, Aurelien Tchouameni and Federico Valverde – the latter has been carded in each of his three games. All three aforementioned players are good to target for fouls.