Key events
75 min: Some more Atlético changes. Barrios and De Paul off for Correa and Sørloth on.
Sørloth has scored four goals in stoppage time for Atlético this season and seven after the 80th minute. Let’s see what he can conjure up.
73 min: That substitution means Atlético have switched to five at the back. Does Simeone think 2-1 is a deficit they can overturn? Before a corner, Rüdiger and Le Normand go at it a bit. The referee has a word. They go right back to tussling. The corner leads to nothing.
70 min: Griezmann comes off for Le Normand. A forward for a defender when down 2-1. Classic Simeone.
68 min: The current space that Real have was not there in the first half. Mbappé finds Díaz who has a lovely turn but no one is there in the box.
64 min: And two changes for Atlético. Simeone and Lino make way for Molina and Gallagher.
62 min: Camavinga makes way for Modrić, the 39 year old. He gets the armband off Valverde.
61 min: CLOSE! From a free-kick Giménez lashes it over the bar.
59 min: Griezmann with the effort right across the face of goal! Courtois with a slight touch to deter the ball from its path.
57 min: Genuinely think Díaz was about to be subbed off for Modrić before that goal. He had given the ball away earlier and the game was seemingly passing him by. He gets booked for the celebration – he was right in there with fans.
GOAL! Real Madrid 2-1 Atlético Madrid (Díaz 55)
And just like that, the game turns on its head, completely against the run of play. Mendy lays it off to Díaz, who is surrounded by red shirts. With a slight drop of the shoulder and through all the bodies, he swiftly sneaks it in at the far post.
51 min: Modrić, Alaba and García are warming up for Madrid as the home crowd start to whistle their own side.
50 min: Vinícius closes down on Giménez and wins a corner for Real but nothing much amounts from it.
49 min: Good play for Atlético that ends with a cross from De Paul but Simeone is just a touch too slow and can’t get on the end of it.
47 min: Speak of the devil. Mbappé has a go. It is on his weaker foot and it is a low, tame shot straight at Oblak.
46 min: Another email, this one from Eric.
Not much of a game tonight, is it? This time last week, Barcelona v Atlético was 2 -2 after 22 minutes.
Very true! I think it is a combination of Simeone’s tactics, especially knowing that the second leg is at the Metropolitano and not much is coming off for Mbappé and Vinícius.
Second half: Real Madrid 1-1 Atlético Madrid
We are back for the next 45 minutes. It is all square in the Spanish capital and the last two games between these two sides ended 1-1 but let’s see what Ancelotti and Simeone have in store for us.
The pendulum swung at the end of the half towards the visitors’ favour. How will Real respond?
No changes for either team at the break.
Some half-time reading which previews tomorrow’s blockbuster match at the Parc des Princes.
A good day for English clubs in the Champions League. Unai Emery’s side take a 3-1 lead back to Villa Park after their victory against Club Brugge. Read Ben Fisher’s report here.
And Arsenal lead PSV 3-1 in the Netherlands. Follow along with Niall McVeigh.
Half-time: Real Madrid 1-1 Atlético Madrid
No added time in the first half and the players head to the tunnel with the scored all tied up. Rodrygo opened up the scoring early on before Alvarez one upped him at the other end.
44 min: Real break after a period of possession for Atlético. Mbappé runs onto the ball … but hits a pass straight at a red and white shirt.
40 min: After playing a dangerous game near their own net, Atlético finally get into the final third. Griezmann, who moments earlier was back defending, combines with Galán before the left-back mishits an easy pass.
37 min: Rodrygo takes a corner that is headed away by Griezmann. The hosts have stepped back since their blistering start and their fans are a lot quieter since that stunning equaliser.
GOAL! Real Madrid 1-1 Atlético Madrid (Alvarez 32)
It has been coming! The visitors have been a lot better going forward and they get their rewards. Alvarez, who is in the form of his life, evades Camavinga and one ups Rodrygo with a cut inside before whipping a cracker right off the post! Seven goals in nine matches for the former Manchester City striker and we are all tied in Madrid.
29 min: Real Madrid win a foul after Vinícius is fouled. Rodrygo takes the free-kick and it is meant to be a cross to Rüdiger but the centre-back can’t jump high enough. The ball bobbles towards Oblak who punches away.
27 min: CLOSE! The visitors work the ball well on the left side. Simeone shrugs off Díaz and gets the ball into the box for Lino but Valverde again, comes to the rescue, clearing the ball just off the line. This is not the captain’s preferred position but he looks assured as a right-back. The ball eventually lands to Barrios, who takes a shot that is too high.
24 min: Wasted chance for the visitors! Simeone, out on the right, puts a cross in that is to no one.
The problem with being so defensive and compact is that when Atlético get the ball, it is a long way to go to the other end of the pitch.
22 min: Real counter after Díaz knicks the ball off Griezmann and it gets to Vinícius. He goes for the long range shot but it is straight at Oblak.
19 min: Better from Atlético. Griezmann is operating as a No 10 when his side have the ball and he combines well with Lino and De Paul but before the ball can come into the box, Valverde intervenes.
15 min: Atlético’s finally get up the pitch and they win a corner.
The resulting inswinging corner comes in, Rüdiger heads it up. It falls to Simeone (the player, not the manager!) who fluffs a volley.
12 min: Another Real chance! Vinícius rushes in from the left. He has Mbappé in the centre of the box for support but he opts to shoot and Giménez makes a big block.
Our first email comes in with Andrew asking why Real only have eight subs named. The hosts have a few injury problems with Carvajal, Ceballos and Militão all out.
10 min: The visitors are being too passive defensively. Lenglet has been too slow to come across and the midfield is being overrun quite easily. Galán is going to continue being targeted.
6 min: Rodrygo gets behind again with a beautiful touch and Galán, not wanting to be beat again, takes him down with a scruffy tackle. Rodrygo is told to get up and VAR checks and clears that is it not a penalty … Real won’t be happy with that.
GOAL! Real Madrid 1-0 Atlético (Rodrygo 4)
Rodrygo starts his run nice and wide and manages to get in behind Galán after a fantastic pass from Valverde. He generates some great power and curls it straight into the back of the net leaving no chance for Oblak. Great finish in what was the hosts’ first attack of the game. That is five goals in nine matches for Rodrygo!
Photograph: Violeta Santos Moura/Reuters
1 min: Atlético immediately fall into their classic 4-4-2 shape. They are going to be defensive, organised and disciplined as they always have been under Simeone.
Kick-off: Real Madrid 0-0 Atlético Madrid
Here we go!
A moment of silence for Javier Dorado, the former left-back who died last month at 48 from leukemia. He won the Champions League with Real in Paris back in 2000.
The teams come out to a bouncing Santiago Bernabéu with some beautiful tifos on display. Ancelotti and Simeone share a long hug as the Champions League anthem rings out. We are moments away from kick-off!
And a hint from Ancelotti on what he expects from his side:
Díaz going to play in Bellingham’s position and, while I won’t mind him occasionally looking to work down the right, I’ve asked him to do the job Jude usually does.
Valverde’s so important to us. Everyone knows what he brings. He’s a key figure and today he’s our captain. I’m glad he’s recovered quickly and he’s all right for this match. I think he’s got the full 90 minutes in him.
Diego Simeone on Real’s change in midfield without Bellingham:
Díaz is an important player offensively. I expect Tchouaméni and Camavinga to offer more positional control, with Valverde more focused from the wing.
It will be a typical game against them – very competitive. There will be moments in which either team will be superior. Whoever makes the best of those will take the advantage.
Two players, with very different expectations, made the move to Real and Atlético, last summer. Tonight they come head to head.
We have live coverage of the other action in Europe tonight. Catch up on the final minutes of Club Brugge v Aston Villa with Will Unwin. Someone (no spoilers!) has just scored!
And join Niall McVeigh for PSV v Arsenal. Is this do or die for Mikel Arteta?
Real may not be an imperious form but they are true kings of this competition. They have only lost one of their last 17 matches (11W, 5D) in the knockouts and are currently unbeaten in nine (5W, 4D) since their defeat against Manchester City in 2022-23.
The last time Atlético faced Real in this competition was in the semi-finals back in 2017, which they lost on aggregate. They also lost to them in the 2015 quarter-finals, the 2014 final and the 2016 final.
For Real Madrid, Valverde returns from injury and captains the hosts as Modrić and Vázquez only make the bench. Jude Bellingham misses out entirely due to suspension so Ancelotti has gone with Díaz alongside the French duo of Camavinga and Tchouaméni in midfield.
For the visitors Giménez and Llorente return in defence as does the in-form Alvarez, who has 21 goals and five assists this season. Gallagher, who has been feeling the love in his new home, starts on the bench.
The teams
Real Madrid (4-3-3): Courtois; Valverde, Asencio, Rüdiger, Mendy; Camavinga, Tchouameni, Díaz; Rodrygo, Mbappé, Vinícius Júnior
Subs: Lunin, González, Alaba, Modrić, Güler, Endrick, Vázquez, García
Atlético Madrid (4-4-2): Oblak; Llorente, Giménez, Lenglet, Galán; Simeone, De Paul, Barrios, Lino; Alvarez, Griezmann
Subs: Musso, Gomis, Molina, Witsel, Mandava, Le Normand, Gallagher, Lemar, Riquelme, Sørloth, Correa
Referee: Clement Turpin (France)
Tonight we will be seeing a battle between two greats in Carlo Ancelotti and Diego Simeone. Heading into their 27th clash, with the two managers having faced each other more often than any other rival in their careers, they are tied at nine wins each along with eight draws. Those matches have seen countless goals and memorable moments filled with drama and tension but ultimately, Ancelotti has said he has nothing but “respect” for his counterpart.
Now, as a coach, I respect him a lot. He’s a great manager. He has done very well at Atlético, taken them to the highest level in Europe. I like the way he reads the games, how he gets the team on the pitch, the strategy, the commitment his team has defensively. I like all of these aspects a lot.
Preamble
The 2024-25 Champions League knockout round has officially begun and it truly does not get better than the two heavyweights from the Spanish capital facing off with European football at stake.
The reigning champions, Real, have been inconsistent this season – even in Europe – and were forced to compete in the knockout play-offs after finishing 11th in the league phase. There, they beat Manchester City at the Etihad and then at home to set up this tie against their crosstown rivals.
Atlético, on the other hand, finished fifth in the league phase, with statement wins against the German champions, Bayer Leverkusen and Paris Saint-Germain. They sit second in La Liga, two points ahead of Real.
This will be the 10th meeting between the sides in this competition, the joint most (alongside Liverpool and Chelsea).
Join me for what will be the 10th meeting between these two sides in this competition. As always, feel free to send me your thoughts, predictions, questions, complaints and favourite Madrid derby moments via email.
This is the Madrid Derby: Champions League edition. Kick-off is 8pm GMT, 9pm CET.