Real Madrid take on city rivals Atletico Madrid in the Supercopa semi-finals on Thursday. Read our in-depth preview here
City rivals Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid will renew hostilities on Thursday evening when they meet in the Spanish Super Cup semi-final.
Atleti are bidding to win the competition for the fourth time in their history, while Los Blancos are targeting a record-extending 14th Super Cup triumph.
Atletico Madrid arrive in Saudi Arabia unbeaten in five competitive matches, although Diego Simeone’s side would have been frustrated by Sunday’s 1-1 draw away to Real Sociedad.
However, they can draw confidence from the most recent Madrid derby, though, having dismantled Real Madrid 5-2 at the Metropolitano in September.
Real Madrid, meanwhile, arrive in strong form under Xabi Alonso, who has eased the pressure on himself with four consecutive wins in all competitions.
Los Blancos cruised to three points in Sunday’s 5-1 home win over Real Betis despite the absence of Kylian Mbappe, with Gonzalo Garcia stealing the headlines by scoring a perfect hat-trick to become the youngest player in the 21st century to achieve the feat in La Liga.
Alonso now has the opportunity to claim his first trophy as Real Madrid head coach, having replaced Carlo Ancelotti last summer, with two wins in Saudi Arabia enough to secure silverware.
Team news for Atletico Madrid v Real Madrid
Atletico Madrid will be without Clement Lenglet and Nicolas Gonzalez, who remain sidelined with knee and hamstring injuries respectively.
Pablo Barrios is also a major doubt after being forced off at half time against Real Sociedad with a calf problem, potentially opening the door for Conor Gallagher to start alongside Koke in midfield.
Johnny Cardoso is another option in the centre of the park, while Robin Le Normand is pushing for a recall after featuring off the bench against his former club last weekend.
Real Madrid will again be without Kylian Mbappe, who continues to recover from a knee injury and has not travelled with the squad to Saudi Arabia.
Eder Militao is also absent due to a hamstring issue, while Brahim Diaz remains away on international duty at the Africa Cup of Nations.
Trent Alexander-Arnold has been included in the travelling squad, but his fitness remains uncertain, while Dean Huijsen could return to the starting XI if he overcomes the minor issue that ruled him out of Real Madrid’s first fixture of 2026.
Expected line-ups for Atletico Madrid v Real Madrid
Atletico Madrid: Oblak; Lorent, Public, Norman, Hancko; Simeon, Gallager, Coke, Baena; Sorloth, Alvarez
Real Madrid: Courtois; Valverde, Huijsen, Rudiger, Carreras; Camavinga, Tchouameni; Rodrygo, Bellingham, Vinicius; Garcia
How to watch Atletico Madrid v Real Madrid: TV channel, online live stream
Atletico Madrid v Real Madrid kicks off at at 7pm UK time on Thursday evening. Fans can catch the game on TNT Sports 1 or on the discovery+ app.
The stats for Atletico Madrid v Real Madrid
- Atletico Madrid are unbeaten in their last five competitive matches
- Real Madrid have won their last four games in all competitions
- Atletico have won just one of three Super Cup semi-finals in the four-team format
- Real Madrid have reached the Super Cup final in five of the six expanded-format editions
- Atletico have beaten Real Madrid just once inside 90 minutes in the last seven meetings
- Real Madrid have not kept a clean sheet against Atletico since December 2021
Prediction
Atletico Madrid
1
–
2
Real Madrid
Real Madrid will be eager to respond after September’s heavy league defeat, and their recent attacking output suggests they are well equipped to do so despite Mbappe’s absence.
Atletico are capable of making this a tight contest, but Real Madrid’s depth and big-game pedigree in this competition could prove the difference in edging a narrow semi-final victory in Jeddah.
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