The UEFA Champions League Semi-Final Game 1 is set to witness another famous “Madrid Derby” as the two in-form neighbors will be at loggerheads at Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid to qualify for the UEFA Championship 2017 final in June.
UEFA Champions League Semi-Final 2017: Real Madrid vs Atletico Madrid – Preview
Until now, the two neighbors met 43 times in which Real Madrid had an upper hand winning 25 of them. Contrarily, Atletico Madrid won 7 games while remaining 11 matches were declared draws. Atletico will definitely try to win the Semi-final and improve their winning-tally against Real Madrid.
Past records are definitely on the sides of Real Madrid. They have beaten Atletico in every season for the last three years in a row. Last time, the two neighbors clashed at a league match of the ongoing UEFA tournament and scored 1-1 goals each. Atletico Madrid Vs Real Madrid match will be a heart-stopping one both teams are expected to perform exceedingly well on Tuesday.
Team News for Real Madrid
Under the meticulous mentorship of the coach Zinedine Zidane, who was a legendary football player himself, it will be crucial for the Real Madrid to keep their defense tight at Tuesday’s important semi-final clash.
One of the vital concerns before Zidane’s team is the availability of its key mid-fielder Karim Mostafa Benzema. However, he participated at the practice session so he may participate in the semi-final. Isco is expected to replace the injured Gareth Bale. Flamboyant Marcelo of Real Madrid is expected to play well against Atletico.
The good news is the Christiano Ronaldo’s and accomplishing 100 goals in champion’s league. Also, his team has now reached into Champions League semis for a record 7th consecutive times – his contribution has been huge to these games.
Team News for Atletico Madrid
Finding a winning combination of players for Atletico Madrid could be a daunting task especially after the injuries to its two key players; Vrsaljko and Juanfran – both will miss live action at Santiago.
However, with players like Gabi, Saul and Koke they can outwit any team. They played fantastically in recent times defeating many football giants including the likes of AC Milan, Bayern Munich, Juventus, Barcelona and Chelsea. But they are yet to beat their neighbor Real Madrid. The immaculate guidance of the inspiring Atletico coach Diego Simeone is indeed a great morale booster for the entire team.
Predicted Playing 11 (Both Teams)
Real Madrid: Navas, Carvajal, Nacho, Ramos, Marcelo, Modric, Casemiro, Kroos, Rodríguez, Benzema and Ronaldo.
Atlético Madrid: Oblak, Hernández, Savic, Godín, Lucas, Filipe Luis, Ñíguez, Gabi, Koke, Torresat and Griezmann
Venue: Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid. The Match will telecast live at 12:15 onwards on Wednesday (IST) or 20:45 (Tuesday) CET.
Live Telecast: Watch this game on Fox Sports (USA) and Ten Sports Network (India)
Match Result Prediction: Real Madrid beat Atletico Madrid 2-1.
Tags: Atletico Madrid, Madrid Derby, Real Madrid, Semi-Final, UEFA Champions League
