Football España x CNN: Champions League Madrid derby preview

It was another eventful weekend in the title race in Spain, as Barcelona took sole possession of top spot in La Liga, after Real Madrid faltered against Real Betis. However all eyes are on the Champions League derby clash between Los Blancos and Atletico Madrid. Football España joined CNN World Sport to discuss it all.

The Blaugrana are in fine form again after their dip towards the end of 2024, but Hansi Flick still has things to perfect if they want to be successful when the trophies are handed out. Meanwhile Real Madrid feel as if they are only a game away from a fresh set of problems, as the injury bug hits them hard again. Los Blancos, and more pertinently Carlo Ancelotti, must now come up with a solution to the absence of Dani Ceballos in midfield.

How exactly he goes about that is not entirely clear, given Luka Modric has struggled to exert control over 90 minutes, and Eduardo Camavinga has been battling fitness issues for much of the season. And that is without addressing the potential problems Lucas Vazquez could face at right-back if Fede Valverde is not fit in time for their Champions League Round of 16 derby with Atletico Madrid.

Diego Simeone’s side ground out a valuable win on Saturday against Athletic Club, with a goal from Julian Alvarez off the bench. The big debate for Los Colchoneros is how to set up in midfield, with Samuel Lino and Conor Gallagher likely competing for a single spot on the left side of midfield.

They took the lead in the last derby in the first half, but Real Madrid dominated the second period after an early equaliser from Kylian Mbappe. Los Rojiblancos will not want to give Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior space to attack, but they also saw the risks of sitting too deep in February.