Real Madrid and Atlético face another volcanic lawsuit between two litigants who arrive revived but exposed to new turbulence
Seventy-seven days later, the Santiago Bernabéu will regain its right to exist. The hall of Chamartin, through which the ball has not rolled since November 10, reopens its doors for a football match. And it’s not just anyone, as a cliff-edge derby leaps onto the scene and with an inexhaustible list of feuds between two mismatched neighbours.
Real Madrid and Atlético play tonight to survive in the Copa del Rey, a tournament the whites haven’t won since 2014, thanks to Bale’s supersonic run at Mestalla, and which the rojiblancos last added to their showcases in 2013. after destroying the merengue soldiers on the battlefield led by José Mourinho at the time with a goal from Miranda in extra time. A success that allowed the mattresses to shake off complexes and supported the Simeone era.
To date, the bitter rivals had crossed swords in 17 Copa del Rey qualifiers, always over two legs. Real Madrid surpassed eleven and Atlético six. But the balance had an opposite disparity in the five finals they fought, four of which took on a rojiblanco color and produced a remarkable peculiarity: all those mattress triumphs took place in the fief of the whites. The same, this time also without room for appeal, which will now pass judgment between two litigants who have gone through areas of tremendous turbulence, but who arrive reborn and prepare to present their best arguments before the Supreme Court.
The setbacks both suffered in intermediate courts, albeit with uneven harshness, have led both Real Madrid and Atlético to review and refine the allegations they had sustained since the start of the course. Carlo Ancelotti’s team, almost always relying on appointments to the throne for the umpteenth last waltz of his old guard, handed over the baton in the last two games to a handful of deserving players looking for the energy that was missing. The reaction of young people with a lot of gas like Camavinga, outsiders turned into rebels by high doses of bank play with a case like Ceballos or Asensio and a veteran who maintains the illusion of a youth player in every dispute like Nacho has returned the heartbeat to Real Madrid, dispelling the clouds of the Spanish Super Cup.
The dilemma facing Ancelotti is whether he should change the orchestra that provided such good symphonies in the cup return against Villarreal and in the league win against Athletic in the middle of the concert to return the microphone to its old rockers or, on the contrary, it is useful for him to keep the melody. The Italian offered hardly any indications about this in the previous one. “They are decisive and will remain so,” warned a coach for Kroos and Modric, who had advised “patience” to youngsters and “understanding” to their deans a few seconds before if they had to live with the logical transfer of roles within a selection. experiencing a ‘moment of transition’. Carletto, who alone takes Alaba from the infirmary, did confirm Nacho’s continuity on the right and broke another javelin for Vinicius, a player “who needs football”.
The end from Rio de Janeiro will once again be in the spotlight of an Atlético also making some progress. Wins over Levante, in the Cup, and Valladolid, in the League, have boosted morale in a team clinging to the KO tournament as a lifeline for a season that has seen their League hopes fade very quickly and in Europe . Based on a plan that releases Griezmann’s best performance, Cholo’s army registered an offensive evolution in their last two skirmishes that they will have to endorse at the Bernabéu. A fortress where the mattresses have piled up for seven years without winning and in which Real Madrid has not kneeled since April 12, 2022, the night when the hosts went from depression to euphoria against Chelsea.
To do this, Simeone will have to assemble a dented battalion without Marcos Llorente’s blow, but which will gain support with Savic’s return. The Montenegrin is going to displace Witsel from the ashes of the rearguard, but doubts are increasing about the substitute for the multifunctional player from Madrid. If Cholo maintains the 4-3-3 formation they defeated Valladolid with, they could house De Paul in the engine room along with Koke and Lemar. Another more conservative option is strengthening the midfield with Kondogbia, in which case Correa could be sacrificed.
Source: La Verdad
I am Shawn Partain, a journalist and content creator working for the Today Times Live. I specialize in sports journalism, writing articles that cover major sporting events and news stories. With a passion for storytelling and an eye for detail, I strive to be accurate and insightful in my work.
