Simeone’s Atletico set for early title test in Madrid derby

MADRID, Sept 26 — Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone is known for focusing only on the present, but when his side host Real Madrid in Saturday’s La Liga derby, it is hard not to look both ahead and back.

The last meeting between the rivals came in March in the Champions League last 16, when Atletico were eliminated after Julian Alvarez’s penalty in the shoot-out was controversially ruled out for a double touch. The incident left the Rojiblancos furious and their season quickly unraveled — a decline from which they may still be recovering.

Six games into the current campaign, Atletico already trail league leaders Real Madrid by nine points. Defeat against Xabi Alonso’s side, who have won every match so far, would leave Simeone’s men with little chance of mounting a serious title challenge.

Atletico invested heavily this summer, spending more than 175 million euros (RM866 million) on the likes of Alex Baena, David Hancko and Thiago Almada.

“We want to recover in the best way we can,” said Simeone after Wednesday’s dramatic 3-2 comeback win over Rayo Vallecano. “We will have a really hard, difficult game against a side that has been winning all their games and has many very good players.”

This week Simeone became the longest-serving coach of a La Liga club, having taken charge of Atletico in December 2011. His tenure has brought the club to historic highs, including two Champions League finals (both lost to Real Madrid) and two La Liga titles. But since their 2021 triumph, the team has struggled to maintain those standards.

“The team needs to evolve to the height the club has,” Simeone admitted in August.

Real Madrid are also undergoing transition, with Alonso replacing Carlo Ancelotti in the summer. Victory in the derby would give Alonso seven straight league wins, equaling Vanderlei Luxemburgo’s 2005 record.

Leading their charge is Kylian Mbappe, top scorer with seven goals, whose blistering form from the end of last season has continued into the new campaign.

Atletico, by contrast, have lacked cutting edge in front of goal, though Alvarez offered a spark with the first hat-trick of his career against Rayo, taking his tally to four.

“Julian is the best player that we have. We need to look after him so he stays many years here at Atletico,” said Simeone. “He has to help us and we have to help him to become even better. Every goal he scores makes the difference.”

Elsewhere, second-placed Barcelona will host Real Sociedad on Sunday at the Olympic stadium, hoping their rivals drop points so they can close the two-point gap at the top.

Player to watch: Georges Mikautadze

The Georgian striker is beginning to find his rhythm at Villarreal following his summer move and could play a key role when they face Athletic Bilbao on Saturday in a clash of two sides eyeing the European places. — AFP