First place in La Liga is on the line when Real Madrid take on Atlético Madrid in the highly anticipated second Madrid derby of the season.
After stumbling against Espanyol last weekend, Real Madrid come into the Madrid derby just one point above Atlético Madrid in the La Liga standings. To regain control of the title race, Los Blancos must do something only two other Spanish teams have done this season—take all three points against Diego Simeone's men.
The last time the two sides met, they each settled for a 1–1 draw. Now, Real Madrid will look for a better result despite their decimated defense. Antonio Rüdiger and David Alaba joined Dani Carvajal and Éder Militão in the infirmary, leaving the defending Spanish champions with zero experienced center backs. All the pressure will be on Real Madrid Castilla product Raúl Asencio to lead the backline.
Los Blancos did receive a few major boosts ahead of the clash, though. Eduardo Camavinga is back from his hamstring injury and available to play on Saturday. Jude Bellingham and Kylian Mbappé are also ready to play after missing out against Leganes on Wednesday.
Here's what Real Madrid's XI could look like against Simeone's men on Feb. 8.






