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It may only be December, but Real Madrid vs Atletico Madrid could very well decide the destination of the title as the two La Liga heavyweights face off at the Estadio Alfredo di Stefano on Saturday.
The Rojiblancos are favourites as they come into this tie on the back of stellar form that has seen Diego Simeone's men storm to the top of the table. Real Madrid are six points behind in fourth, having played a game more, which makes this match a must-win if they want to keep their title ambitions alive.
Zinedine Zidane's men were staring at UEFA Champions League elimination sandwiched between ties against Sevilla and Atletico, and have negotiated a difficult week well so far.
Sevilla fell to a 0-1 defeat while Los Blancos topped their UCL group with a 2-0 win over Gladbach, courtesy of Karim Benzema. Atletico remain, but it's their hardest tie so far.
Atletico Madrid also come into this game having defeated RB Salzburg 2-0 to qualify for the Champions League knockouts. Their focus is, however, also on winning their first league title since the 2013-14 season. A first win away to Real Madrid in the league since the 2015-16 season would certainly be a step in the right direction
Here are five players who could decide the result of this titanic clash:
#5 Karim Benzema (Real Madrid)
Undoubtedly Real Madrid's best player ever since Cristiano Ronaldo left the club, Karim Benzema has shouldered the responsibility placed on him by Zinedine Zidane with aplomb.
It was no surprise that when Los Blancos were in need of a big performance against Borussia Monchengladbach in the UEFA Champions League, the French striker stepped up with a brace.
It's typical of Benzema to show up in the big games, but his record against Atletico isn't the best, with the 32-year-old only managing nine goal involvements (5G, 4A) in 34 appearances against the Rojiblancos.
Benzema will be up against a defence that has only conceded twice in the league so far, although Jose Gimenez's absence could work in the Frenchman's favour. Stefan Savic and Felipe will have their work cut out in dealing with Benzema's movement, especially with him in goalscoring form.
#4 Joao Felix (Atletico Madrid)
Atletico Madrid's decision to fork over €126m for a 19-year-old Joao Felix seemed like a fatal one last season as the forward struggled to have much of an impact, with 12 goal involvements (9G, 3A) in 2483 minutes of football. Yet, this season, the Portuguese forward has gone some way to repay his fee, with some stellar form.
Felix's return of 11 goal involvements (8G,3A) in 1183 minutes this season has literally doubled his output, with Atletico's forward line thriving because of his inventiveness in attack. It is no surprise that the Rojiblancos are the league's second-best attacking side statistically.
A fly in the ointment, though, is that Joao Felix has never scored against Real Madrid, with the 21-year-old struggling to find the net in the 171 minutes he has played against Los Blancos. However, with Raphael Varane having some nervous moments of late, Felix will have his eye on breaking his duck.
#3 Marcos Llorente (Atletico Madrid)
Diego Simeone's reinvention of Marcos Llorente from defensive midfielder to centre-forward to all-action attacking midfielder is nothing short of miraculous. If anything, Zinedine Zidane may be casting a jealous eye on his former charge, with Llorente perhaps better than the options he currently has.
The €30 million that Atletico Madrid paid for his services looks ever more like a bargain every day. There ought to be plenty of regrets at Real Madrid - only Karim Benzema has outscored Llorente this season from their entire squad.
Real Madrid have looked vulnerable on the counter this season, with all of Casemiro, Toni Kroos and Luka Modric failing to track midfield runners - an area Marcos Llorente excels at.
Having lost to his boyhood club twice in three games, Llorente will be keen to score against Zinedine Zidane's side and aid Atletico Madrid in their quest for a victory.
#2 Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid)
The numbers 92:48 ought to be enough for any Rojiblanco fan to shiver at the thought of Sergio Ramos, but he looms larger than that moment in Lisbon. The centre-back has only lost 9 out of 44 games against Atletico Madrid, a stellar record in the Madrid derby.
Six goals and three assists make the Rojiblancos his favourite opponents, with Barcelona and Sevilla in second place. Clearly, Ramos is one for the big games.
His absence this season has been keenly felt, no less than by Raphael Varane, who's looked half the player without his Spanish partner.
Ramos' return came at the perfect moment for Zidane, with a great performance to shut out Borussia Monchengladbach.
Ramos faces quite the test against this version of a free-scoring Atletico, having kept a clean sheet in the last three games against them.
Joao Felix and Luis Suarez will be sure to test Ramos to the limit of his capabilities as he marshals a defence that looks lost without him.
#1 Luis Suarez (Atletico Madrid)
Luis Suarez knows the worth of a goal against Real Madrid, having been involved in 16 of them (11G, 5A) in his 15 appearances for Barcelona. Statistically, Real Madrid are the Uruguayan forwards' third favourite opponents, behind Valencia and Sevilla.
It's the perfect occasion to see his Atletico career take off, especially with Suarez having scored just three goals in ten games following his brace against Granada on debut.
Suarez looked the picture of frustration having been substituted against Salzburg, with Diego Simeone accepting his forward's reaction.
An angry Suarez is a goalscoring Suarez if his career is anything to go by, so Real Madrid ought to be quite wary.
Sergio Ramos and Raphael Varane know exactly how annoying an opponent he can be, and with Joao Felix profiting from Suarez's hard yards, he is a sure bet to have an impact on this Madrid derby.
