Atletico Madrid vs Real Madrid: The stats behind La Liga’s two most effective sides

Real Madrid against Atletico Madrid

While Barcelona’s claim to being mes que un club is being scrutinised almost daily in Catalonia at the moment, there really are mas que tres puntos up for grabs in Madrid on Sunday.

Atletico Madrid had climbed out from under their stone to not just beat Real Madrid for the first time since 1999 – in last year’s Copa del Rey final and earlier this season at the Bernabeu – but to lead La Liga for the first team since 1996. Back-to-back away defeats to Almeria and Osasuna have left them in danger of slipping back under that stone, though; Sunday’s Madrid derby couldn’t arrive at a more important time.

Meanwhile, Carlo Ancelotti’s side could hardly be heading to the Vicente Calderon in better nick. Two each from Karim Benzema, Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo saw them strike down Schalke on German soil in midweek after they’d moved three points clear at the top of Spain’s top flight last weekend. That’s three points clear of Atletico and Barcelona. Their hop across town really is a six pointer: win and they’ll establish an almost uncatchable lead at this stage, but lose and they’ll be all level again.

Atletico will have to return to the pre-Christmas version of themselves to be in with a chance of keeping their title hopes alive. A draw wouldn’t be a complete disaster, but a win is always better and to do the latter they will have to score. Unfortunately, Diego Costa, their top scorer with 21 league goals, has not been reliable since the clock chimed for midnight on New Year’s Eve.

In 17 league appearances before the winter he break he amassed 19 goals, matching Ronaldo blow for blow, but, in eight appearances since, he has only found the net twice. The match-winner when they met on Real’s patch will need to find his shooting boots.

David Villa stats

If he can’t, Diego Simeone may hope David Villa can. The former Barca front man has scored three since the league resumed in seven games, taking his total to 11 for the season – he can definitely be relied on as a big game player too. Either way, something has to give. After their cup humiliation against Madrid recently, they’re left with just one strike against them in 270 minutes this season.

At the other end their usually sturdy defence – until last weekend’s 3-0 defeat in Pamplona – will need to re-find their roots. No side in La Liga have conceded fewer than Atleti (19) and the consistency of their back four and Thibaut Courtois has been a major aspect of that. Few players win more than the 3.40 tackles left-back Filipe Luis averages every 90 minutes, fewer still have a better Squawka defence score than Diego Godin (558.72).

Those aspects will all have to combine if Atleti are to keep out a Real Madrid front three that have drawn comparisons with Alfredo di Stefano, Paco Gento and Ferenc Puskas this week following a Champions League master class. Bale, Benzema and Ronaldo have scored 46 league goals between them. El Cholo’s tactics managed to successfully stunt them at the Bernabeu this season but, now they’ve gathered a head of steam, it looks like a markedly more difficult task on Sunday evening.