Atletico recuperated and prepared to take on Real

Coach Diego Simeone stated that his squad was prepared for the matchup at the top of the league, but that Atletico Madrid had put rehabilitation ahead of careful preparation before playing city rivals Real Madrid in La Liga on Saturday.

With 49 points, Real is ahead of Atletico, who are three points ahead of third-place Barcelona after 22 games.

After Atletico defeated Getafe 5-0 in Tuesday’s Copa del Rey, Simeone stated that they were still focused on Saturday’s derby.

“We haven’t discussed the match yet,” Simeone stated during a Friday press conference.

Since we are up against a very dangerous opponent with a lot of individuality, we have decided to recuperate well and will decide where we will be in the match tomorrow afternoon.

“With all that context, knowing what we’re going to face, we’ll be prepared to play the game we want to play.”

With four 1-1 ties and two victories for each team in the league over the previous four years, recent Madrid derbies have been close.

Real has lost all four of the clubs’ previous league games, though.

“We know what we’re up against, a rival who will start off strong, very determined,” remarked Simeone.

“They’re very good with and without controlling the space, and we will have to take the game to where we think we can hurt them.”

Real will play Atletico after suffering their third league loss of the season last weekend, a 1-0 loss at Espanyol, and a thrilling 3-2 victory against petty local rivals Leganes in the Copa del Rey quarterfinals.

In all competitions, Atletico has won their previous three games, including a 4-1 triumph against RB Salzburg that put them in the top eight of the Champions League league.

The Argentine coach also stated that he was still undecided about his starting selection for the game on Saturday.

“You have to interpret what is most important for the team,” he said further.

“I picture a game that lasts 95 or 96 minutes, and we have to be ready for anything. From starting to finishing, everything has an impact.