In December 2011, when Atletico decided to put their future in the hands of Diego Simeone, Jose Mourinho was halfway through his second season at Real Madrid, having managed to restore some pride to the team, although they were still inferior to Guardiola's Barcelona. When Cholo took charge of his first derby from the Colchoneros bench, against Mou's Real, the story was completely different from what it is today. Barcelona were the only genuine rivals to the Royal Club, while Atletico belonged to a group of teams that could barely, if at all, reach their level. These days, under the sponsorship of Madrid beer brand Mahou, Real and Atletico players are running a campaign aimed at showing that the meeting between the two Madrid clubs ranks among the biggest city derbies in the world.🚨 STAT: Real Madrid have won just ONE of their last 5 away games against Atlético.7 goals scored. 12 conceded. pic.twitter.com/cAtEVpjkLo— Madrid Xtra (@MadridXtra) September 20, 2026 Mourinho and Simeone are meeting in the same roles 13 years later. The head-to-head record in derbies so far stands at 3-1 in favour of the Portuguese, although that one Atletico victory is a particularly valuable one. It was the only Copa del Rey trophy Cholo has won in his career, after beating Real at the Bernabeu. A young Thibaut Courtois was outstanding in goal for the red-and-whites that night. Now Mou has been reminded of how he once belittled his colleague by refusing to comment on coaches who had not won the Champions League.“A man says a lot of stupid things during his career. Sometimes because of the moment, and sometimes strategically,” the ’Special One’ now explains, adding: “When they invited me to take part in a documentary about Simeone, I didn't hesitate for a second. We are rivals, but we are also brothers-in-arms.”And an even nicer comment came from Simeone at the Metropolitano:“I have enormous respect for Mourinho, I admire him, and he knows how highly I regard him.” Both men are much older now and, at least at first glance, much more restrained.Designated clowns: Mbappe and Vinicius face backlash over Spanish support refusalBesides the distant history, the Madrid derby has a more recent chapter as well. Last season's meeting was also played at the end of September. It was the first real test for Xabi Alonso, against an Atletico side that had not made the brightest of starts. The general view now is that the 2:5 defeat at the Metropolitano marked the beginning of the end of his reign on the Real bench. The overall record in these matches is not in the Royals' favour either, as Real have not won the Madrid derby away from home since 2022.“There was no one better than me last season”The home side still remember that more recent history, especially last year's victory, with a sigh — particularly because of the player who shone that night. Julian Alvarez scored twice, and his second goal, a free-kick, was enough to justify his status in the team. At that moment, even those who had questioned his performances began to believe that their Spider-Man would lead them to great victories. Now Alvarez is a spider tangled in his own web, one that could very easily drag the entire club down with him. Simeone, judging by his comments, is ready to throw him into the arena before the lions today, where Julian will have to show what he is made of.Who has the edge in this weekend's Madrid Derby?@JOYPAULIAN breaks down who he has more confidence in: Real or Atlético 🇪🇸 pic.twitter.com/vfRppvNySp— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) September 17, 2026 Atletico, however, are taking most of their encouragement these days from the collective effort. The past week has been more than positive, with two emphatic victories in which as many as six different players found the net. They coincided with the debut of Jonathan David, who, at least for now, appears to have solved the number-nine problem. Alex Baena increasingly resembles the Baena we see with the national team and is leaving his average campaign last season behind, while Lee Kang-in is also thoroughly justifying Atletico's decision to sign him. On the other hand, Cristian Romero immediately transformed himself into the pillar of the defence — it is no wonder Simeone pushed so hard for his arrival. Pablo Barrios, probably their best player at the start of the season, has unfortunately been injured again, but apart from him and Sorloth, Simeone has everyone else at his disposal, while he has also had the opportunity to rotate and rest his players.Vinícius Jr.’s brace inspired a wild Real Madrid comeback against Atlético Madrid the last time these rivals met at the Bernabéu 🤯🔥 pic.twitter.com/EJMGfenGsJ— OneFootball (@OneFootball) September 20, 2026 The Real side arriving at the Metropolitano today have been struggling most with lapses in concentration and maintaining their rhythm. It happened against Inter, as well as against Rayo Vallecano and Elche. On the other hand, they need very little to find the net and wreak havoc in the opposition defence. The combination of these two elements has defined the Royals' performances at the start of the season. Give them even the slightest bit of space and the danger is enormous, but problems begin to emerge as early as the second half. Mbappe has been consistently good, with seven goals in six league appearances plus another in the Champions League. He is now preoccupied with his Ballon d'Or campaign, which means that, more than ever, he will be playing for himself rather than the team. That said, when Mbappe plays, the team benefits too. The bigger question, at least in theory, is Vinícius. Mourinho is supposedly there to introduce a merit-based approach to team selection, something that has been widely discussed in recent days, and it is about time he showed it. Still, it is difficult to imagine Real starting without him.The man who made Anfield his home – and named his dog after itAs always, the dilemma is in midfield: Tchouameni or Bernardo Silva alongside Valverde. Then there is the choice between the control and composure provided by Guler, or the pace and dribbling of Diomande, who has already begun to show why he is worth 125 million euros. We must not forget that this derby is currently about more than supremacy in the city. In the event of defeat, Real would remain six points behind league leaders Barcelona, while Atletico would be eight points adrift. That is a significant gap this early in the season, especially because the Catalans look unbeatable and, if they continue at their current level, it is difficult to imagine them dropping points anywhere.LA LIGA – MATCHDAY 7FridayEspanyol – Elche 1-3 (0-2)/Chust 72 og – Nino 26, 29, Valera 78/SaturdayOsasuna – Rayo Vallecano 1-1 (1-0)/Budimir 16 – Camello 50/Ath. Bilbao – Alaves 0-0Celta – Santander 5-0 (2-0)/Gonzalez 32 pen, Moriba 43, Roman 69, Duran 78, 90+2/Sevilla – Barcelona 1-3 (1-1)/Fofana 19 – Raphinha 22, 52, 69/Sunday15.00: (2.05) Getafe (3.15) Malaga (4.10)17.15: (3.50) Atl. Madrid (3.60) Real Madrid (2.05)19.30: (3.50) La Coruna (3.45) Betis (2.10)19.30: (1.53) Villareal (4.30) Levante (6.00)22.00: (2.75) Valencia (3.30) Sociedad (2.60)***odds are subject to change***