By Matthias Krug
Madrid: If you ever wondered what the relationship between Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid, the two big clubs here in the Spanish capital, is like, a little anecdote in this week’s column might help to illustrate a point.
When I asked an Atletico Madrid season ticket holder this week whether she was friendly with Barcelona supporters, the answer was a resounding yes: ‘We support all enemies of Real Madrid.’
And so the mood going into this weekend’s Madrid derby, for which your trusty Spain correspondent has managed to sneak a ticket in order to report first hand from the scene of the action, is decidedly explosive. Consider for example that Atletico have had a terrible start to the season which led to their firing of coach Abel Resino, but recent games have shown an upwards trend. The 2-2 draw midweek against a rampant Chelsea at the Vincente Calderon showed that this Atletico side has plenty of ‘Pegado’ as they say here, plenty of attacking verve, although the defence still looks a tad vulnerable. This could be something of an Achilles heel for Madrid against their big neighbours. Over in Chamartin, the posh business district which houses Real Madrid, the alarm bells were also ringing but Manuel Pelligrini seems to have turned around his expensive ship just in the nick of time. A derby win would do him a world of good, especially given that the situation in the Champions League still looks precocious after the midweek 1-1 draw at the San Siro.
For what its worth Raul seems to have been booted out of the Chilean’s starting eleven and taken on the role of lead cheerleader, but against the team which booted him out of their youth system and unwillingly started the legend of ‘Raul Madrid’, there may be the temptation to bring the veteran back into the fold. All in all a fascinating Madrid derby awaits me and the rest of Gulf Times’ Spanish football fans, even though the season ticket holder interviewed did not believe in her team’s chances of upsetting the big brother Real. Over in Barcelona, meanwhile, an equally interesting test awaits Pep Guardiola’s boys as they take on the surprise team of the season, visiting Real Mallorca. The ex-ex-team of Samuel Eto’o has been taking the league by storm from its base on the holiday island that German tourists flock to every year, but the Catalans will not be in sunny spirits after their freezing 0-0 draw in Russia midweek put them in danger of being knocked out of the group phase as defending champions. Sunday night’s game between Sevilla and a newly resurgent Villareal should also be a real cracker.
Up in Germany, meanwhile, the Bayern Munich of Luis Van Gaal is in danger of cracking up altogether. The former Barcelona coach has all but seen his team exit the Champions League after a pair of humiliating defeats to Bordeux, and this weekend a trip to high-flying Schalke 04 awaits. If Van Gaal does get the sack, as many in the German press expect, a holiday in Mallorca might be an interesting option.
Playing Today (GMT)
Tenerife v Malaga (1700)
Getafe v Deportivo Coruna (1700)
Barcelona v Real Mallorca (1900)
Atletico Madrid v Real Madrid (2100)
Playing Tomorrow
Racing Santander v Athletic Bilbao (1600)
Real Valladolid v Xerez (1600)
Sporting Gijon v Espanyol (1600)
Almeria v Osasuna (1600)
Valencia v Real Zaragoza (1800)
Sevilla v Villarreal (2000) - AFP