Real Madrid vs Athletico Madrid|Who gets the last laugh???
After Barcelona and Bayern Munchen strolled into the semi-finals of the UEFA champions league last night, A more entertaining spectacle should be in store for the second leg of the all-Madrid quarter-final in the Champions League at the Bernabeu Stadium on today wednesday.
It’s tempting to think Atletico Madrid may have blown their best chance by gaining revenge for last season’s heartbreaking Champions League Final defeat to their Spanish capital city neighbours by being held 0-0 at home in the first match.
That represented a great opportunity for Diego Simeone’s side to put themselves in the driving seat to reach the last four because while they have beaten Real four times this season, three of those victories were at their own Vicente Calderon Stadium.
Atletico’s record of not having conceded a goal at home to their arch-rivals this term remains intact but, in a niggly encounter overshadowed by an unsubstantiated biting accusation regarding Dani Carvajal on Mario Mandzukic, nor could they score themselves.
The bad-tempered nature of the game was nothing new where these clubs are concerned, of course, and there is every chance it could yet overspill into something unpleasant, as it so nearly did in Lisbon last May when Simeone almost lost the plot.
But at the same time, surely there has to be goals because that was the first scoreless draw between these clubs in the last 31 meetings – and as they go head-to-head so often that dates back to only 2005!
Goalkeeper Jan Oblak was hailed as the hero last week for he made some brilliant saves, in particular from Gareth Bale who with Luka Modric will miss tonight’s game.
You have to feel that Benzema, Rodriguez, Cristiano Ronaldo and co will break through this time and probably more than once if Atletico then have to chase the game.
Still, Simeone can be confident of seeing his side bulge the net themselves, which they have done on each of their three visits across town this season in building an unbeaten record in the seven meetings so far across four different competitions.
The Atletico coach has predicted “a classic game, one of those that anyone would love to play in” and let’s hope it will be remembered for all the right reasons.
