Atletico Madrid is set to host city rivals Real Madrid at Riyadh Air Metropolitano on Sunday in their next La Liga fixture, which will be their last before the first international break of the season.Atletico Madrid vs Real Madrid – Match preview and team newsDate: Sunday, 20th September.Kick-off: 3:15pm BST.Venue: Riyadh Air Metropolitano, Madrid.Atletico Madrid team newsAtletico Madrid enters the Madrid derby with significant selection headaches. Manager Diego Simeone is sweating over the fitness of key forwards, with Julián Álvarez ruled a major doubt due to a persistent muscular strain that sidelined him for the last two fixtures.Compounding these worries, both Alexander Sørloth and Pablo Barrios are battling muscular problems and face late fitness tests to determine their availability for the bench.In their absence, Jonathan David is fully expected to lead the frontline after his impressive goal-scoring performance against Osasuna.He will likely be supported in a fluid attacking trident by Lee Kang-in and Alex Baena. Simeone will rely heavily on this makeshift frontline to breach their rivals’ defence while maintaining his trademark compact defensive shape.Real Madrid team newsThe visitors will definitely be without key defensive and attacking components, as Éder Militão, Rodrygo, and Ferland Mendy have all been officially ruled out with muscle, knee, and hip injuries, respectively.On a more positive note, midfielder Jude Bellingham has fully recovered from his recent ailment and is projected to return straight to the starting lineup to inject creativity.To counteract Atlético’s wing-backs, Mourinho is tipped to make a tactical adjustment by starting Denzel Dumfries at right-back ahead of Trent Alexander-Arnold, aiming to provide greater physical presence and defensive stability alongside Ibrahima Konaté and Dean Huijsen, while Kylian Mbappé spearheads the attack.FormAtletico MadridAtlético Madrid has bounced back brilliantly following consecutive defeats against Athletic Club (3–0) and Liverpool (2–1) in early September. Diego Simeone’s squad responded with tremendous goal-scoring intensity, securing a dominant 3–0 away victory over Real Sociedad before crushing Osasuna 4–0 at home. This sudden offensive surge, yielding seven goals in two matches without conceding, provides massive structural momentum and confidence ahead of the high-stakes derby clash.Real MadridReal Madrid has displayed elite resilience, recovering rapidly from a shock 1–0 La Liga defeat against Real Betis on 4 September. José Mourinho’s team reeled off three consecutive hard-fought victories across all competitions. They defeated Inter Milan 2–1 in the UEFA Champions League before securing a comprehensive 4–1 league win over Rayo Vallecano and grinding out a 3–2 triumph against Elche to remain right on pace.Predicted lineupsAtletico Madrid: Oblak; Llorente, Romero, Le Normand, Grimaldo; Lee, Koke, Cardoso, Baena; David, LookmanReal Madrid: Courtois; Dumfries, Konate, Huijsen, Cucurella; Valverde, Tchouameni; Guler, Bellingham, Vinicius; MbappeHow to watch Atletico Madrid vs Real Madrid?In the United Kingdom, you can watch the Madrid derby live on Premier Sports 1.Read Also – HomeSee More – LatestFollow the Football Faithful on Social Media:Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | YouTubeThe post Atletico Madrid vs Real Madrid – Match preview and team news appeared first on The Football Faithful.