The Madrid Derby travels to the Middle East this week as Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid get set to face off in the Spanish Super Cup semifinal in Saudi Arabia on Thursday.
Real are out for revenge after losing last year’s final to FC Barcelona, while Atleti are looking for only their third ever Supercup title, and first since 2014.
Los Blancos are fresh off a convincing 5-1 win over Real Betis on Sunday, led by a Gonzalo Garcia hat-trick.
The win — Real’s fourth in a row in all competitions — allowed Xabi Alonso’s side to keep pace with Barca at the top of the La Liga table, still sitting four points adrift of their eternal rivals.
Atleti, meanwhile, settled for a 1-1 draw with Real Sociedad over the weekend, with both sides striking within five minutes of one another early in the second half.
The Rojiblancos still occupy fourth place in the league standings, tied with Villareal on 38 points despite having played two more games.
Diego Simeone’s troops got the better of their crosstown rivals earlier this season, prevailing 5-2 at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano in September.
Where to Watch Real Madrid vs Atlético Madrid
Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid will face off at the 62,345-capacity King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on Thursday.
When: Thursday, January 8 – 2PM ET / 11AM PT
Where: King Abdullah Sports City – Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Simeone will have a strong squad to call upon for Thursday’s derby, with just Nico Gonzalez and Clement Lenglet ruled out for the contest.
Summer signings Marc Pubill and David Hancko could make up the center-back pairing, with fellow newcomer Matteo Ruggeri operating at left-back.
With Pablo Barrios a doubt to feature, captain Koke could start in midfield alongside the USMNT’s Johnny Cardoso.
Julian Alvarez and Alexander Sorloth will hope to rattle the net a couple of times as the strike partnership.
Atlético Madrid predicted lineup (4-4-2): Jan Oblak (GK) – Marcos Llorente, Marc Pubill, David Hancko, Matteo Ruggeri – Giuliano Simeone, Johnny Cardoso, Koke, Alex Baena – Alexander Sorloth, Julian Alvarez.
Real Madrid Team News and Predicted Lineup
Real Madrid have once again been hit by the injury bug, leaving Xabi Alonso with some decisions to make for the clash with Atleti.
The most notable absence is Kylian Mbappé’s, who has been ruled out of the mini-tournament with a knee injury, and has not traveled to Saudi Arabia with his teammates.
Eder Militao and Dani Carvajal also remain unavailable, while Trent Alexander-Arnold is unlikely to feature as he continues to recover from a thigh injury. Brahim Díaz is also away with Morocco at the African Cup of Nations.
Gonzalo Garcia will hope to carry over the momentum for his hat-trick and fill the gigantic void left by Mbappé in attack.
Real Madrid predicted lineup (4-2-3-1): Thibaut Courtois (GK) – Federico Valverde, Raul Asencio, Antonio Rudiger, Alvaro Carreras – Eduardo Camavinga, Aurelien Tchouameni – Rodrygo, Jude Bellingham, Vinicius Jr – Gonzalo Garcia.
Jurgen Klopp’s comments about Arsenal after Jonathan Tah had a goal controversially ruled out by VAR in Germany’s World Cup exit vs Paraguay have gone viral.
Germany were easily expected to overcome Paraguay in their last 32 tie at Boston Stadium.
However, despite having the lion’s share of possession in the first 45 minutes, it was the underdogs who took the lead just before half-time through Julio Enciso.
Germany needed to up their game in the second half, and it didn’t take long for them to restore parity as Arsenal’s Kai Havertz found the back of the net.
There were no further goals for the remainder of regulation time as the game went to extra-time. Jonathan Tah thought he had given his side the lead in the 103rd minute, only for his goal to be controversially ruled out.
The decision to rule out Tah’s goal was extremely controversial. Moments before Tah headed home, Paraguay goalkeeper Orlando Gill briefly fell to ground following contact from Germany substitute Waldemar Anton.
Gill had got to his feet by the time the ball reached Tah, but he could not do anything to stop the Bayern Munich defender from finding the back of the net.
Fortunately for Paraguay, VAR deemed that Anton had committed a foul on Gill and disallowed the goal, leaving Germany incensed. Julian Nagelsmann in particular was outraged and was shown a yellow card for his protests.
Former Liverpool manager Klopp was covering the match as a pundit for Magneta TV, and he did not agree with the decision as he made reference to Premier League champions Arsenal. He said:
“If the goal is illegal, then Arsenal won’t be English champions. They’ve scored 60 percent of their goals that way. We win the game when the ball goes in. So, of course, this is brutal.”
He added: “There are worse things than defeats in sports. But there was only one goal, one dream, and that has been shattered. It was dramatic. There are 500,000 ways to win a football match. You just have to find one.”
You scored
out of 20
Alan Shearer Slams Officials
IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters/Winslow Townson
Alan Shearer slammed the decision and claimed that Gill had ‘conned’ the referee. He said, per the BBC: “I don’t agree with that decision at all. The keeper falls to the ground on a slight touch and it’s very soft. I thought it was a terrible decision.
“You have to understand it is a contact sport, the goalkeeper has conned the referee and the VAR. The way he went down was pathetic.”
Former Premier League assistant referee Darren Cann also believed the goal shouldn’t have been ruled out. Just before the decision was made, he said:
“This is soft, in my opinion. But judging by what we’ve seen in the tournament so far, it wouldn’t surprise me if they do rule it out. We’ve seen two or three goals ruled out for very small offences. This is hardly anything.
“It’s a small block on the goalkeeper, but for me, it’s not enough. I suspect they will be ruling this out. We feel this should not be disallowed.”
Paraguay will now take on either France or Sweden in the last 16 of the competition. The match will be played at Philadelphia Stadium on Saturday, July 4.
Manchester United suffered a big blow after it was confirmed Manuel Ugarte has suffered a serious knee injury.
The Red Devils were considering offloading the Uruguayan midfielder, but the injury has hampered their plans to do so.
Ornstein: Man Utd Midfielder Update
According to The Athletic’s David Ornstein, Manchester United’s midfield recruitment plans are unaffected by the injury to Ugarte. West Ham midfielder Mateus Fernandes remains the immediate priority, and others are also being considered.
Liverpool are looking at some new winger options in the transfer market, according to TeamTalk, alongside a possible switch for Bradley Barcola this summer.
Bradley Barcola is a key target, not least as Diomande’s move to PSG may force an exit as he enters the final two years of his contract with the European champions.
While he may be the most high-profile candidate on the club’s radar, it appears as though another two options are being assessed for a deal this summer.
Liverpool Eye Said El Mala
via Reuters
One of those options, according to TeamTalk, is Koln forward Said El Mala, who appears likely to leave the German club in the coming weeks.
The 19-year-old enjoyed a successful campaign last time out, making 36 appearances, bagging 13 goals and five assists for the Bundesliga outfit.
In that time, the youngster largely featured on the left wing, but also received minutes as a centre-forward, in attacking midfield, and on the right wing.
The Germany youth international continues to receive plenty of interest as a result, and was seemingly close to joining Brentford earlier in the transfer window.
That move fell through, however, and now a switch to Liverpool could be on the cards as they continue to monitor a potential deal to sign El Mala.
A move does appear complicated, however, as his brother, Malek El Mala, is believed to want a move with his brother to wherever his next destination is.
It remains to be seen whether that could be a deal-breaker for Liverpool, while Premier League rivals Newcastle United remain in the hunt for his signature too.
You scored
out of 20
Liverpool Want Bazoumana Toure
Ulrik Pedersen/Cal Sport Media/Sipa USA
The other winger Liverpool have been linked with is Hoffenheim star Bazoumana Toure. The 20-year-old Ivorian star has impressed over the past year, bagging five goals and 12 assists in 32 appearances across all competitions.
The forward largely features on the left wing, but has also received some minutes on the right and as a centre-forward when required for his team.
It’s claimed that Toure, who is currently at the World Cup with the Ivory Coast, is viewed as a “long-term” option for Liverpool to help improve their options.
Liverpool have discussed a move for one of their transfer targets this summer, as they move on from Yan Diomande’s rejection.
He would join Rio Ngumoha in becoming a young development player for the long-term, while Cody Gakpo and Victor Munoz are expected to take up roles as the more experienced options.
It remains to be seen who the Reds will land, as they must now adjust to the blow of missing out on Yan Diomande in the transfer window.
Real Madrid
Atlético Madrid
FC Barcelona
