Madrid // Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid both have strong reasons to feel vengeful ahead of Tuesday night's Uefa Champions League quarter-final first leg at the Vicente Calderon, a game for which the final batch of 54,000 tickets, costing €150 (Dh583) each, sold out on Sunday.
Atletico want revenge in Europe because they were seconds away from winning a first European Cup last May until Sergio Ramos’s 93rd-minute equaliser forced extra time in which their illustrious neighbours demonstrated the gulf in individual talents with three more goals.
Real Madrid are seeking payback because, in the six meetings since they lifted that long-awaited decima in Lisbon, they have not beaten the reigning Spanish champions.
Atletico won the Spanish Super Cup and have done a league double for the first time since 1957.
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In the latest derby, a February encounter at the Calderon, Carlo Ancelotti’s side were hammered 4-0, their biggest derby defeat since 1987.
That defeat led to speculation that the Italian’s job was uncertain, but while Real have lost twice in the league since that game and sit two points behind Barcelona, they have looked impressive in their three most recent games.
Ancelotti has denied that elimination to their neighbours will cost him the Bernabeu job.
“No, I don’t think so,” he said yesterday. “It depends on the work of a whole season.
“These games are a part of it. All will be evaluated at the end of the season.”
Ancelotti, who said it is an “honour” but “big trouble” to face Diego Simeone, is more popular among his players than his predecessor Jose Mourinho, but Real are expected to win either the league, European Cup or Copa del Rey each season.
Having been eliminated from the domestic cup competition by Atletico, they could still win the two most important competitions and the Italian is highly unlikely to lose his job while his team are in contention for one of them
Despite the past six results and the away venue, Real are clear favourites.
Toni Kroos, Luca Modric and James Rodriguez are back from injury and looking formidable in a midfield three.
Only Kroos started in the 4-0 defeat, while his midfield foils Sami Khedira and Isco were ineffective and substituted. In recent weeks, Kroos, Rodriguez and Modric have been starting together for the first time since early November and Real have looked exceptionally strong.
They also average more than four goals per game when they play.
Gareth Bale is back from injury and will play alongside Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema as they seek to overcome a side that has become their nemesis.
There is a sense that they will, especially as Atletico are not the force they were a year ago. They scraped into the last eight thanks to a penalty shootout against Bayer Leverkusen and, with a nine-point gap to leaders Barcelona and only seven games left, it is implausible that they will retain the title.
Simeone’s side remain formidable and he will have been pleased to see Antoine Griezmann return to form with two goals in Saturday’s 2-2 draw at Malaga.
The French winger, who will play up front with Mario Mandzukic in a probable 4-4-2, had looked washed up a month ago.
Before last season’s final, the Madrid giants had only met once in European competition, a 1958/59 semi-final, which finished 2-2 on aggregate and, with no away-goals rule, resulted in a replay in Zaragoza, which Real won 1-0 to take them into a fourth successive final and continue their early European Cup dominance.
Atletico have won all four of their European home games this season, Real all four of their away matches.
One of those records has to give on Tuesday night.
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