For the third time in less than a month, cross-town rivals Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid are set to meet at the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday evening.

On the outset, it may seem like a derby of little value – after all, the Spanish season is less than a month old. Yet, there is still so much on the line – neither side can boast of a bright start in the race towards the La Liga title. And this match could be catalyst needed to spark the team’s alight.

Following 2-1 aggregate Spanish Supercopa over Los Blancos a few weeks back, Diego Simeone’s men were unconvincing in their league outing against Rayo Vallecano. Similarly, their previous match against recently promoted side Eibar was equally as disappointing, running out 2-1 winners and their four points after the first two matches sees the league champions sit in sixth position.

Meanwhile, Carlo Ancelotti’s troops find themselves languishing in 10th position with just the single win – surprising given that their summer spending spree has yet to produce any sort of positive result. And their previous outing against Real Sociedad is an ideal reflection of their lacklustre form. The Bernabeu outfit seemed to be in cruise control after an early 2-0 lead courtesy of Sergio Ramos and Gareth Bales strikes in the fifth and 11th minute respectively.

Yet, La Real regrouped spectacularly and goals from Inigo Martinez and Carlos Vela in conjunction with David Zurutuza double saw the Andalusians run away with a famous victory.

The stakes could not be higher. A loss for Real would see them trail Barcelona by a whopping six points, provided that the Catalans win, of course. For Atletico, a loss would see them languish five points behind the early pace setters. Indeed, ranking points matter, and so too do bragging rights. And, truth be told, there’s nothing better than going one-up on your opponents.

Real and Atletico have a long history of rivalry, of course, and such a match, more often than not, is seen as a clash of contrasting political ideologies. Atletico represent the working class, Real – the richer bureaucrats. Historically, though, Real Madrid are seen as the ‘establishment club’. Atletico, on the other hand, are often characterised as rebellious in nature – “sentimiento de rebeldía” as many would have it.

During the years of Francisco Franco’s dictatorship, however, Atletico were the preferred side due to their association with the nation’s air force. At such a time, Spain itself was isolated from the international scene and, due to Real Madrid’s success on the European stage, Franco sought to use the club as a way of restoring international relations, with one of Franco’s officials remarking: “Real Madrid are the best ambassadors we have.”

As a result, Atletico fans are said to have adopted a more left-wing political position and are said to have chanted that Real are “el equipo del gobierno, la vergüenza del país” — the team of the government, the shame of the country.

Nevertheless, in recent years, it seems Atletico have gained the upper hand, and defender, Miranda, is adamant of a positive result. “I think Atletico can battle to win all of the competitions they are in this season,” Miranda told Spanish source AS.
“We’ll do what we can to bring more silverware to the club. Up until now I’ve been able to be a part of many of the team’s successes and I’m very grateful to the club for that.
“We are going to try to emulate all of the successes from last season.
“I don’t think we will struggle after the departures.”
Carlo Ancelotti, though, will be boosted by the return of Cristiano Ronaldo – without him, Real’s attack have looked ordinary.

Predicted result: Real Madrid 1-2 Atletico Madrid