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#3 Eder Militao (Real Madrid) vs Luis Suarez (Atletico Madrid)
Real Madrid will be wary of Atletico Madrid striker Luis Suarez, who has shrugged off an injury scare and is expected to start the Madrid derby. The Uruguayan striker has scored seven league goals this season. More importantly, he has a commendable record against Los Blancos.
He has found the back of the net against Real Madrid 12 times across competitions, and has also picked up five assists. He has scored five times at the Santiago Bernabeu, and will look to add more to that tally on Sunday.
The onus to keep him in check could fall on Eder Militao, who has had more minutes than any other outfield Real Madrid player. He has also taken the role of a key centre-back in his stride.
Miltao has been dominant in the air, winning more aerial duels (2.4 per 90) than any other Real Madrid player. He has also made the most interceptions (1.9 per 90) in the team, and could have a great duel against the more experienced Suarez.
#2 Karim Benzema (Real Madrid) vs Geoffrey Kondogbia (Atletico Madrid)
Karim Benzema has been the standout player for Real Madrid this season. He has hit the ground running with 12 goals and seven assists in La Liga. He is fourth in the European Golden Shoe rankings.
Benzema has a decent record against Atletico Madrid, scoring six goals in 36 games against Diego Simeone's men. That's a record he will look to improve, given his imperious form at the moment.
With both his first-choice centre-backs ruled out with injuries, Simeone will have to field Geoffrey Kondogbia as a make-shift defender for this game.
The defensive midfielder can play as a centre-back. He has impressed with his tackling prowess (2.4 per 90), but has come up short in aerial duels. His physical presence might help in close duels, but he might be beaten in the air by Benzema and co.
#1 Vinicius Jr. (Real Madrid) vs Marcos Llorente (Atletico Madrid)
Real Madrid boast the best attack in Spain, thanks to the exploits in front of goal by Benzema and Vinicius Jr. The young Brazilian has finally found his feet at the club, oozing confidence every time he has stepped up this season.
He has scored ten goals in La Liga, with only Benzema scoring more. Vinicius has also bagged two assists thus far, in what has been a career-best season for Real Madrid. His impressive performances helped him win the La Liga Player of the Month award in November.
Atletico Madrid's defensive injury crisis might help Vinicius add more goals to his tally against the versatile Marcos Llorente on the flanks. Llorente has started on the right flank in the last two games in the absence of first-choice full-back Kieran Trippier.
Vinicius Junior is likely to come out on top. However, Llorente has quick turn of pace and will hope to keep the Brazilian's darting runs into the Atletico Madrid box in check on Sunday.
