MADRID DERBY
Atlético Madrid trounce Real Madrid 15-0
The two biggest soccer clubs in Spain’s capital have a bitter rivalry stretching back over a century, and are currently engaged in a new beef.
As reported by Diario AS, Atlético Madrid is frustrated with the scheduling for their upcoming derby against capital rivals Real Madrid on September 29, where Los Blancos will enjoy two more days of recovery than Atlético.
But does Atlético Madrid really have grounds for complaint? Looking back at recent seasons, Simeone’s side has actually had a cumulative 15-day advantage over Real Madrid in terms of rest. You’d have to go all the way back to January 2020 to find the last time Real Madrid came into a derby with more recovery time. Since then, either both teams have had equal rest, or Atleti has come in fresher than their capital city rivals.
2023-24 season: +6 Atlético
Last season saw four derbies—two in La Liga, one in the Copa del Rey, and one in the Spanish Super Cup. In the first La Liga derby, Atlético had one extra day of rest and won 3-1, with a Morata brace, Griezmann, and Toni Kroos contributing to the scoreline. For the Spanish Super Cup, both teams entered equally rested, and Real Madrid won in extra time thanks to goals from Rüdiger, Mendy, Carvajal, an own goal by Savic, and Brahim for Los Blancos, while Hermoso and Griezmann scored for Atlético, along with an own goal by Rüdiger.
The most significant difference came in the Copa del Rey round-of-16, where Ancelotti’s side had four fewer days of rest after playing a final in Saudi Arabia. Real Madrid lost 4-2 in the second extra-time derby of the season (Lino, Morata, Griezmann, and Riquelme scoring for Atlético, with an Oblak own goal and a Joselu strike for Real Madrid). In the return La Liga fixture, Atlético again had one extra day of rest. The two teams drew 1-1 in February (with goals from Brahim and Llorente). In total, Atlético had a six-day rest advantage across derbies last season, resulting in two wins and a draw.
| Derby | Madrid’s previous game | Atlético’s previous game | Difference | Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24/09/23 LaLiga | 20/09/23 vs Unión Berlín | 19/09/23 vs Lazio | +1 Atlético | ATM win 3-1 |
| 10/01/24 Supercopa | 06/01/24 vs Arandina | 06/01/24 vs Lugo | 0 | RM win 5-3 |
| 18/01/24 Copa | 14/01/24 vs Barcelona | 10/01/24 vs R. Madrid | + 4 Atlético | ATM win 4-2 |
| 04/02/24 Liga | 1/02/24 vs Getafe | 31/01/24 vs Rayo | + 1 Atlético | Draw 1-1 |
22-23 Season: +4 Atlético
Two seasons ago, the rivals clashed three times. In the first La Liga match, Atlético had one extra day of rest but lost 2-1 at the Metropolitano (Rodrygo and Valverde for Madrid, Hermoso for Atlético). In January, they had another extra day in the Copa del Rey quarterfinal at the Bernabéu, but Atlético again lost in extra time, 3-1 (Morata for Atlético, Rodrygo, Benzema, and Vinícius for Real). In the final derby of the season, Real Madrid had two fewer days of rest, and the teams drew 1-1 (Giménez and Álvaro Rodríguez on the scoresheet). Despite having a four-day rest advantage over the season, Atlético were unable to secure a victory against their rivals from the capital.
| Derby | Madrid’s previous game | Atlético’s previous game | Difference | Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18/09/22 LaLiga | 14/09/22 vs Leipzig | 13/09/22 vs Leverkusen | +1 Atlético | RM win 1-2 |
| 26/01/23 Copa | 22/01/23 vs Athletic | 21/01/23 vs Valladolid | +1 Atlético | RM win 3-1 |
| 25/02/23 LaLiga | 21/02/23 Liverpool | 19/02/23 vs Athletic | +2 Atlético | Draw 1-1 |
21-22 Season: + 4 Atlético
In this season, the two sides faced off twice, both in La Liga. The first match took place on December 12, with both teams entering equally rested after their midweek Champions League fixtures. Real Madrid won 2-0 at home with goals from Benzema and Asensio. In the second match, Atlético had four extra days of rest. Real Madrid had just come off a grueling extra-time victory in the Champions League semifinals against Manchester City. Already crowned La Liga champions and with the Champions League final looming, Real Madrid fielded a team of substitutes and lost 1-0 (Carrasco scoring for Atlético). It was the third consecutive season where Atlético entered a derby with more rest than Real Madrid.
| Derby | Madrid’s previous game | Atlético’s previous game | Difference | Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12/12/21 LaLiga | 07/12/21 vs Inter | 07/12/21 vs Oporto | 0 | RM win 2-0 |
| 08/05/22 LaLiga | 04/05/22 vs M. City | 30/04/22 vs Athletic | +4 Atlético | ATM win 1-0 |
20-21 Season: +1 Atlético
This season also saw just two matchups between the Madrid giants. In December, both teams had equal rest after midweek Champions League fixtures. Real Madrid won the first derby 2-0 at the Bernabéu (Casemiro and an Oblak own goal). In the second La Liga meeting, Atlético had one more day of rest after playing the previous weekend on Sunday, while Real Madrid played on Monday. That game ended in a 1-1 draw (Luis Suárez for Atlético, Benzema for Real). Atlético Madrid went on to win La Liga that season, finishing two points ahead of Real Madrid.
| Derby | Madrid’s previous game | Atlético’s previous game | Difference | Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12/12/20 LaLiga | 9/12/20 vs Bor. M’gladbach | 9/12/20 vs Salzburgo | 0 | RM win 2-0 |
| 7/3/21 LaLiga | 1/3/21 vs Real Sociedad | 28/2/21 vs Villarreal | +1 Atlético | Draw 1-1 |
Season 19-20: + 1 Madrid
The last time Real Madrid had more rest going into a derby was in the 2019-20 season, in the Spanish Super Cup final. Real Madrid had played their semifinal on Wednesday, while Atlético played on Thursday, with the final on Sunday. Los Blancos came out victorious in that match. Since then, Real Madrid has never had more rest than Atlético heading into a derby.