Hello and welcome to the Madrid derby as Atletico face Real Madrid at the Estadio Metropolitano with both sides yet to taste defeat in the league to date this season.
Traditionally, Real Madrid hold the upper hand in derby games with Los Blancos running out winners in 91 of the 174 LaLiga meetings with Atleti bagging 41 victories and 42 games ending in a draw.
However, in the past three meetings, Atleti won the corresponding fixture last year 3-1 with the sides drawing at the Bernabeu 1-1.
The Colchoneros also ousted Madrid from the 23-24 Copa del Rey with a 4-2 (AET) win and at present are the last side to have beaten Real Madrid in LaLiga with Ancelotti's men 39 games unbeaten in the league.
70,000 fans will pack into the ground in the San Blas area of Madrid tonight with a massive red and white mosaic set to greet the sides as they emerge onto the pitch at 3pm (ET).
Pre-Game Buzz
The Estadio Metropolitano awaits.
Real Madrid Possible Starting XI
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When is Atlético Madrid - Real Madrid? How to watch on TV, stream online | La Liga
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Neither side have lost in the 24-25 LaLiga season to date and will see a win as a massive opportunity to close ground on Barça at the top of the table with the Catalan side finally falling to their first league defeat of the season in Pamplona (4-2).
Madrid (in second place) have amassed 17 points to the 15 of Simeone's side.
Both sides are back in European action next midweek with Real Madrid travelling to face Lille in northern France with Atleti making the short trip to Lisbon to face Portuguese giants Benfica in the Champions League.
An English aroma to the Madrid derby
Tonight will be the first time the Madrid derby features two English players for either side with Jude Bellingham expected to start for Carlo Ancelotti and it's widely expected that former Chelsea star Conor Gallagher will be in Cholo Simeone's starting XI for the home side.
CONOR GALLAGHER / DANI SANCHEZ / DIARIO AS
No Atleti XI as yet but Gallagher to start
As we await the Atletico Madrid team sheet we can assume that Gallagher will be in the starting XI with the English player's jersey featuring in the countdown Twitter (X) post.
Atleti XI announced
Sørloth and Alvarez to spearhead Atleti attack with Griezmann and Gallagher marshalling the centre of the park and the side captained by keeper Jan Oblak.
How Atlético Madrid plan to stop Real Madrid: line-up and tactics
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300 Madrid fans expected
Despite being allocated 400 match tickets for the derby, only 300 Madridistas will brave the hostile environment that is the Estadio Metropolitano on derby day. The travelling supporters will be housed in the second tier of the North Stand at the stadium.
Vini Jr ‘masked hate campaign’ sees LaLiga take strict action
REAL MADRID / Aleksandra Szmigiel / REUTERS
Warm welcome for Atleti team bus
Fans packed the streets beside the Estadio Metropolitano as the Atletico Madrid team bus made its way to the ground with plenty of colour and pyrotechnics to greet the team with countdown to the derby well under way.
Madrid derby: substitutes
Here's the subs' benches for both sides tonight:
Atlético Madrid: Musso, Gomis, Witsel, Lenglet, Galán, Koke, Serrano, Riquelme, Samu Lino, Lemar, Giuliano Simeone & Correa.
Real Madrid: Lunin, Fran González, Lucas Vázquez, Vallejo, Jacobo Ramón, Fran García, Camavinga, Arda Güler & Endrick.
Simeone reinforces the need to 'work as a team'
Speaking to DAZN pre-game, Atletico's head coach Diego pablo Simeone reinforced the importance of his team working as a collective, starting with strikers Sorloth and Alvarez and expressed the need for them to work also in a defensive capacity.
Madrid clubs learn CWC venues
Both Madrid giants will represent LaLiga at next summer's inaugural expanded FIFA Club World Cup with 32 teams competing in the tournament that will be staged in the United States.
Last night at an event in NYC, FIFA confirmed the host cities that would be staging matches for the 2025 event.
Whistles as Madrid take to the pitch
Real Madrid are the first side out for their pre-game warm up routine with a loud barrage of whistles to greet Carlo Ancelotti's men as they take to the pitch.
Bellingham looking to get off the mark
The former BVB player has yet to find the target this season having bagged 23 goals. Mbappé's injury sees the Englishman back into a more attacking role ahead of the derby tonight at the Metropolitano.
Jude Bellingham / OSCAR DEL POZO / AFP
15 minutes to go to kick-off.
Atleti warming up too with a slightly different reaction from the home fans to the arrival of their players.
A packed house awaits with 67,000 Colchoneros and just 300 hardy travelling Madridstas.
Warm ups are over as the players return to the dressing room with kick-off looming.
AC/DC's Thunderstruck has just started on the PA system as the house lights are dimmed ... it's game time at the Estadio Civitas Metropolitano !
The teams are on the pitch.
The stadium is engulfed in a red, white and blue sea with the mosaic design and the banner in the south stand reads ' Until my final days'.
Who is Mateo Busquets Ferrer, the referee for Atlético Madrid - Real Madrid today?
SOCCER
Modric and Oblak the captains for tonight's clash pose for the pregame protocol snap with referee Mateo Busquets Ferrer.
Real Madrid start the game.
Dangerous ball in from Carvajal but just too much on the cross for Vini Jr.
All the early play in Atletico's half.
Vini on the ball with the Brazilian greeted with a series of whistles from the home fans.
Atleti have been on the back foot for the opening five minutes with all the initative coming from the men in white.
Griezmann looks for Sorloth but too much on the pass and Sorloth was unable to latch on the pass.
Better from the home side now.
Atletico with a period of sustained possession now as De Paul looks to centre but fires too close to Courtois.
The angle was very acute to be fair to the striker.
First chance of the night falls to Julian Alvarez and Courtois stands tall to save from the Argentine.
Possession after 10'
Atleti 23-77 Real Madrid (%)
Vini picks up the ball and ultimately the move breaks down and is back with Oblak.
Real Madrid win a corner as Modric skips away and Llorente has to intervene.
Griezmann 500
Another corner for the visitors.
Great hit from Valverde and the effort forces a superb stop from Jan Oblak.
After a solid spell form Atleti, Madrid getting back into the action now.
Twenty minutes gone and the game is being dominated by both sided in waves.
Possession after 20'
Atleti 46-54 Real Madrid (%)
Just the one clear chance per side. Alvarez for Atleti and Valverde for the visitors.
Courtois also getting pelters from the home fans ... Still a sore point for Atleti supporters the way he moved to Real Madrid a few years back following his Atleti-Chelsea and Madrid trajectory.
Very ambitious from the Madrid No. 8.
Llorente clips Vini Jr. and it's a dangerous free for Madrid as Valverde stands over the ball but the Uruguayan drives the ball wide.
We've seen little or nothing from Sorloth this evening with the former Villarreal man putting in plenty of running but yet to get on the ball.
Madrid enjoying the bulk of possession in the past few minutes.
We pass the half an hour mark and the game is still a tight and tense affair.
Real Madrid ahead on 'points' after 35 minutes of action.
One shot on target a piece and Madrid edging things on possession 48-52 (%)
Jude Bellingham gets another shot off for Madrid but easy for Oblak as the Atleti captain is quick to react.
Nervy times as Oblak (yes Oblak) dribbles past Vinicius in his own 6 yard box !
Two half chances per side but no real clear cut chances so far.
Approaching the half time whistle and the game is still being played with the tension and nervous energy that one would expect from a big city derby match.
First booking of the night.
Modric carded as he stamps a rival player.
Madrid also applying a very high press denying Atleti the opportunity to move the ball around with the time they would wish.
Both teams cancelling one another out so far tonight.
Rodrigo de Paul really has been Atletico's weak link tonight with the Argentine culpable now on a number of occasions of giving the ball away cheaply and putting his side under pressure.
Sorloth heads into Courtois' arms.
Griezmann to take. Sorloth heads into Courtois' arms.
Good work from Sorloth.
First corner of the night for Atleti.
The whistle sounds and its stalemate so far in the Madrid derby.
Atleti fans calling for Koke at the interval but the game does need someone to offer 'something different'.
Chances have been few and far between with Valverde and Bellingham testing Oblak and Julian Alvarez going close for the home side in a game with clear scoring chances very much at a premium.
Both teams playing with all the pressure a game of this nature throws up.
Tension ..... the word that underpins the Madrid derby so far.
0-0 at the break
All Atleti subs on the pitch warming up at the break and zero Madrid players carrying out drills.
Koke seems to be the one player Atleti fans feel could be a game changer.
Koke is on and it's Molina who makes way.
No changes for Real Madrid at the interval.
Atleti set to start the second half.
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A subscription to just Premier Sports' dedicated La Liga channel costs £8 a month.
La Liga broadcast rights in the UK are also with Premier Sports, which will be showing a minimum of five live matches per week from Spain's top league on its Premier Sports 1 and 2 channels, as well as its dedicated La Liga platform. This match will be shown on Premier Sports 1 as well as LaLigaTV.
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As the match is being broadcast on ITV4, that means you'll also have the option of watching the game online for free via the network's on-demand streaming service, ITVX (formerly ITV Hub).
Coverage begins on ITV4 at 7:30 p.m. BST ahead of the 8 p.m. BST kickoff. That also means you'll be able to stream the game online via the network's online ITVX service.
The great news for footy fans in the UK is that free-to-air broadcaster ITV will be airing selected LA Liga fixtures live, including this evening's Madrid Derby .
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Conor Gallagher of Atletico de Madrid celebrates after scoring his team's first goal during the LaLiga EA Sports match between Atletico de Madrid and Valencia CF at Estadio Civitas Metropolitano on September 15, 2024 in Madrid, Spain.
Below, we'll outline the best live TV streaming services to use to watch the game as it happens, wherever you are in the world.
Atletico take on Real Madrid at the Estadio Civitas Metropolitano on Sunday, Sept. 29. Kickoff is set for 9 p.m. CEST local time, making it a 3 p.m. ET and 12 p.m. PT start in the US; an 8 p.m. start in the UK and a 5 a.m. AEST kickoff in Australia on Monday.
They come up against an Atletico side currently in third place that could leapfrog Real with a win at home today. Diego Simeone's side remain unbeaten after registering four wins and three draws, with former Chelsea star Conor Gallagher having settled well in midfield since his recent move to Spain.
Los Blancos find themselves in second, four points behind Barca, and come into this match without big summer signing Kylian Mbappe, who will miss the clash thanks to a thigh problem.
Real Madrid will be hoping to gain ground on La Liga leaders Barcelona on Sunday as they face local rivals Atletico in this intriguing derby clash.
Los Blancos will be without one of their Galacticos for this Madrid derby clash.
Please Note: All times UK. Tables are subject to change. The BBC is not responsible for any changes that may be made.
Last Updated 29th September 2024 at 20:59
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Formation: 4 - 4 - 2
Manager: Carlo Ancelotti
Formation: 4 - 4 - 2
Manager: Diego Simeone
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