The high derby | The mail

Real Madrid and Atlético come to the derby in full swing. The Whites have accumulated nine consecutive victories in an unstoppable march for now that Atlético wants to put a stop to. The pupils of Cholo Simeone drag a course full of doubts, but face the appointment spurred by the morale kick that has represented their victory against Porto in the Champions League, where they will be in the eighth drum again, despite reaching the last group stage matchday against the ropes.

A triumph for the locals, who have chained ten consecutive matches of the capital’s greatest rivalry in the domestic championship without kneeling down, would be a decisive blow for the future of the League. As much as there is more than half the championship ahead, thirteen points of advantage for the Chamartín team would be an almost insurmountable obstacle for the irreconcilable mattress enemy, who faces a ‘match ball’ against in the middle of December.

Everything seems to smile at Carlo Ancelotti’s squad, who since the last break due to the national team’s commitments has kept the accelerator down to increase the cushion of points that distance him from his immediate pursuers. Since the defeat at the beginning of October in Cornellà, only Osasuna, with a draw achieved at the Santiago Bernabéu on the eleventh day, has been able to stand in the way of a team that has reaped 22 of the last 24 points in dispute and only he has conceded four goals in his seven most recent league dates.

The suffocating marathon of recent weeks, full of cheating appointments, has not made a dent in Real Madrid’s progress, despite the fact that its coach barely rotates due to legal imperative. As long as your soldiers do not fall exhausted on the green, you will keep the disposition of the troops intact, even if the past reminds you of the dangers of such a battle plan.

Ancelotti also has a pending account with Simeone, whom he was unable to defeat in the four league games they had throughout the first stay of Reggiolo’s coach on the Real Madrid bench. Three victories for the Argentine and a draw is the balance in the tournament of the regularity of a pulse that acquired a very different look in the Champions League, where the transalpine snatched the ‘orejona’ from Lisbon from his counterpart.

To collect that pending account that he has in the League, Ancelotti recovers troops: Bale and Benzema, who exercised on Saturday with his teammates and returned to the call, after missing the appointment against Inter due to discomfort in the hamstrings of the left leg that gave focus to Jovic against Real Sociedad. The coach confirmed that the Frenchman will play. And that is bad news for Atlético. Because Real Madrid’s ‘9’ is a shot: he has 12 goals and 7 assists in a tournament in which the Pichichi Trophy will fall, this time, into the hands of a mortal. It is true that Atlético is not the best rival at all. He has barely scored 6 goals in 26 matches against the rojiblanco team. But that record can constitute an additional motivation for a ram who, this time, has a luxury ally.

Vinicius made his debut with Real Madrid in a derby with Julen Lopetegui. His role was testimonial. Now he appears as the headliner. His ten goals and two assists in the League, to which he adds two goals and three passes on goal in the Champions League, have made him the sensation of the moment and the main threat to unbalance an Atlético who will step on the Bernabéu with an unrecognizable defense .

The past as a mirror

Giménez and Savic’s injury casualties have deprived Simeone of his quarterbacks at the rear. Also not available is Vrsaljko, who literally crushed his face for his team in Porto. This will force Cholo to keep Kondogbia as a centerpiece.

In spite of everything, Atlético, which will be able to count on Luis Suárez as a replacement for Cunha, has plenty of arguments to leave the series of games in a row without winning at five in the fiefdom of Real Madrid. From the overflow of Carrasco, Lemar and Correa to the nose of the Brazilian forward, passing through the sweet moment that De Paul goes through.

The rojiblancos also know from their own experience how fast the souffle can go down. It happened just a year ago, when they visited Alfredo Di Stéfano on the crest of the wave and Real Madrid sent them to the corner of thinking with a resounding 2-0. That League that seemed to be declining in December was resolved on the last day. Your goal is for the script to repeat itself.