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The Madrid derby is back again, and this time, it’s all-or-nothing in the UEFA Champions League. Real Madrid head to the Metropolitano Stadium on Wednesday night, clinging to a razor-thin 2-1 lead in the first leg over city-rivals Atletico Madrid.
Kick-off is at 8 p.m. Moroccan time and fans can catch the electric action live on BeIN Sports Arabic 1, BeIN Sports English 1, Canal+, or M+ La Liga de Campeones.
🙌 IT'S MATCHDAY! 🙌
🆚 @AtletiEnglish
🕰 21:00 CET
🏟️ Metropolitano pic.twitter.com/22f2gSEuUL— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) March 12, 2025
Last week’s game at the Bernabeu delivered everything fans hoped for. Rodrygo’s fourth-minute screamer gave Los Blancos the perfect start, before Julian Alvarez’s equalizer put the game on level terms. Brahim Diaz restored Real’s lead, but Madrid missed a gilt-edged opportunity to nail down the tie when Kylian Mbappe fluffed a simple cross at the last minute to tee up Vinicius Jr.
Ancelotti was asked if the match in question will mark a “cycle”. “It allows us to continue dreaming in this competition, as in the past. It’s a more complicated round of 16 than other years, but we are confident,” he said in response.
“Duels against Atletico have always been competitive; sometimes they have won, other times we have won…It will be competitive,” he promised.
But injuries are stacking up. Doubts linger over Antonio Rudiger, Federico Valverde, and star man Mbappe, who reportedly picked up a knock against Rayo Vallecano. Dani Carvajal and Eder Militao are already ruled out.
Atletico, meanwhile, are entering the fray on the back of a humiliating 2-1 defeat to Getafe, which saw their La Liga title hopes take a hit. Captain Koke is sidelined, and Clement Lenglet remains a doubt, but Diego Simeone’s men will be out for blood in front of their home crowd – as always against bitter rivals. Antoine Griezmann and Julian Alvarez are set to lead the front line, with Conor Gallagher expected to step up in midfield.
The day arrived. pic.twitter.com/YWxK5kvaKZ
— Atlético de Madrid (@atletienglish) March 12, 2025
The bad blood runs deep between these two giants. Real shattered Atleti hearts in two Champions League finals in the 2014 and 2016. But Simeone’s side have made life miserable for Madrid at the Metropolitano before — and they’ll believe they can do it again.
Predicted Lineups
Atletico Madrid: Oblak; Llorente, Gimenez, Le Normand, Galan; Simeone, Barrios, Gallagher, Lino; Griezmann, Alvarez.
Real Madrid: Courtois; Mendy, Rudiger, Asencio, Valverde; Camavinga, Tchouameni; Vinicius, Bellingham, Rodrygo; Mbappe.
Score Prediction
Expect a slogfest. Atletico will throw everything at Madrid, and the atmosphere will be thrilling. But Real are the kings of this competition for a reason — they somehow find a way to survive with the slimmest margin.
Atletico Madrid 1-1 Real Madrid (2-3 on aggregate)
