Atlético Madrid and Real Madrid meet in the first Madrid derby of the new LaLiga season. The hosts have scored seven unanswered league goals in their last two matches, while Real arrive at the Metropolitano with five victories from their opening six rounds.
On September 20 at 19:45 IST, "Atlético Madrid" will face "Real Madrid" at "Riyadh Air Metropolitano". The fixture kicks off at 16:15 local Spanish time.
Real Madrid enter the derby with 15 points from six LaLiga matches. Atlético Madrid have collected 13 points from five games and have recovered strongly after an uneven opening stretch.
Both teams have also shown considerable attacking potential. Atlético scored seven goals without conceding against "Real Sociedad" and "Osasuna", while Real have scored 13 goals across their last five official matches.
Teams Current Form
"Atlético Madrid" form
Atlético Madrid have produced a sharp improvement after a difficult beginning to the season. Diego Simeone’s team followed a 3-0 defeat against "Athletic Bilbao" and a 2-1 UEFA Champions League loss at "Liverpool" with consecutive convincing league victories.
They first won 3-0 away against "Real Sociedad" and then defeated "Osasuna" 4-0 at the Metropolitano. Jonathan David scored on his first league start against Osasuna, while the team controlled the match without conceding.
The latest results have also restored Atlético’s defensive stability. After allowing six goals across the matches against Sevilla, Athletic and Liverpool, they kept consecutive clean sheets in LaLiga.
The attack now has several different reference points. Ademola Lookman and Jonathan David can operate centrally or attack space, while Álex Baena and Lee Kang-In provide creativity behind them. Koke and Johnny Cardoso give Simeone additional control in midfield.
"Real Madrid" form
Real Madrid have won five of their first six LaLiga matches. Their only league defeat came away against "Real Betis", but José Mourinho’s team responded with victories over "Rayo Vallecano" and "Elche".
The latest match was much tighter than expected. Real Madrid won 3-2 away against Elche after previously beating Rayo 4-1 at the Bernabéu.
Real also opened their UEFA Champions League campaign with a 2-1 victory against "Inter". That gives the team four victories across their last five official matches.
Kylian Mbappé remains the central attacking reference, with Vinícius Júnior and Arda Güler providing additional threat around him. Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni continue to give the midfield physical strength and control.
Real’s defensive numbers are less dominant than their attacking output. They have conceded five goals across their last five official matches, including two against Elche.
Probable Lineups
"Atlético Madrid" lineup
4-4-2: Jan Oblak, Marcos Llorente, Cristian Romero, Robin Le Normand, Alejandro Grimaldo, Lee Kang-In, Koke, Johnny Cardoso, Álex Baena, Jonathan David, Ademola Lookman.
No player from that starting eleven has been confirmed unavailable for the Real Madrid match at the time of this forecast, so there is no factual reason to change the base XI.
No player from that starting eleven has been confirmed unavailable for the derby, so the same eleven remain the base for the potential lineup.
Who will not play
For "Atlético Madrid", Alexander Sørloth remains an injury concern because of the muscular problem that has kept him out of recent matches.
Pablo Barrios suffered a low-grade myofascial injury in his right leg and missed both the Real Sociedad and Osasuna matches. His availability for the derby remains doubtful.
Julián Álvarez missed the latest matches because of muscular discomfort. He is progressing toward a return but has not yet established full availability for the derby.
None of these players started against Osasuna, so their status does not force a change to the potential XI above.
For "Real Madrid", Éder Militão, Ferland Mendy and Rodrygo continue individual recovery programmes.
All three missed the latest match against Elche and were still working separately from the main group on September 17.
None of them started against Elche, so no forced change is required to Real Madrid’s base XI.
The most accurate information on the final starting lineups will be available immediately before the meeting.
Statistics for the Last 5 Matches
"Atlético Madrid"
16.09.26, LaLiga: Atlético Madrid 4-0 Osasuna
13.09.26, LaLiga: Real Sociedad 0-3 Atlético Madrid
09.09.26, UEFA Champions League: Liverpool 2-1 Atlético Madrid
05.09.26, LaLiga: Athletic Bilbao 3-0 Atlético Madrid
29.08.26, LaLiga: Sevilla 1-3 Atlético Madrid
In the last five official matches, "Atlético Madrid" have 3 wins and 2 defeats. The team scored 11 goals and conceded 6.
"Real Madrid"
15.09.26, LaLiga: Elche 2-3 Real Madrid
12.09.26, LaLiga: Real Madrid 4-1 Rayo Vallecano
08.09.26, UEFA Champions League: Real Madrid 2-1 Inter
04.09.26, LaLiga: Real Betis 1-0 Real Madrid
30.08.26, LaLiga: Real Madrid 4-0 Malaga
In the last five official matches, "Real Madrid" have 4 wins and 1 defeat. The team scored 13 goals and conceded 5.
Head-to-Head Statistics
22.03.26, LaLiga: Real Madrid 3-2 Atlético Madrid
08.01.26, Spanish Super Cup: Atlético Madrid 1-2 Real Madrid
27.09.25, LaLiga: Atlético Madrid 5-2 Real Madrid
12.03.25, UEFA Champions League: Atlético Madrid 1-0 Real Madrid, Real Madrid advanced on penalties
04.03.25, UEFA Champions League: Real Madrid 2-1 Atlético Madrid
In the last five official head-to-head matches, "Real Madrid" have 3 wins and "Atlético Madrid" have 2 wins in regulation or extra-time match results. Real Madrid scored 9 goals and Atlético Madrid scored 10.
Main prediction for the "Atlético Madrid" - "Real Madrid" game
Atletico Madrid – Real Madrid: forecast on event 20 September 2026
Both teams to score
Both attacks enter the match with strong recent numbers. Atlético have scored seven goals across their last two league games, while Real Madrid have scored nine across their previous three official matches.
The recent derby history also supports this market. Both teams scored in four of the last five official meetings, with the only exception being Atlético’s 1-0 Champions League victory in March 2025.
Real Madrid have conceded in three of their last four official matches, while Atlético have scored in four of their last five.
The quality of Mbappé and Vinícius gives Real a constant threat in transition, while Atlético’s current attacking structure with David, Lookman and Baena has become considerably more productive.
For
Additional predictions
Atletico Madrid – Real Madrid: forecast on event 20 September 2026
Total over 2.5 goals
Every one of Atlético Madrid’s last five official matches produced at least three goals. Four of Real Madrid’s last five also finished above the 2.5-goal line.
The two most recent LaLiga derbies were especially open: Real won 3-2 at the Bernabéu in March, while Atlético won 5-2 at the Metropolitano in September 2025.
A derby can always become more cautious because of the importance of the fixture, but the current attacking form of both teams makes another match with three or more goals a realistic direction.
