Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid take on each other in the sixth Madrid derby of the season at the Vicente Calderón Stadium, as both sides' look to display their dominance in the Spanish capital.
Although the Los Blancos are currently four points clear of Barcelona at the top of the La Liga, their record against rivals Atletico Madrid this season has been pretty poor.
Out of the five fixtures played between these two sides this season, Real Madrid have failed to win a single game, recording three defeats and two draws.
Carlo Ancelotti's have lost to Atletico Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup, the La Liga (the reverse fixture at the Bernabeu) and the round of sixteen of the Copa Del Rey.
Things do not look good for Real as they prepare to face their Madrid rivals on Saturday as they are currently in the middle of an injury crisis, with the likes of James Rodriguez (broken foot), Pepe (rib) and Sergio Ramos (hamstring) all on the sidelines. Left-back Marcelo is also set to miss this fixture as he is suspended after collecting five yellow cards in the La Liga.
Despite admitting that Ramos' injury is a big blow for Real Madrid, Ancelotti insists that he has "faith" in Rafael Varane and Nacho, who will be stepping up in place of the injured defenders.
"Sergio's injury is significant, he'll be out of action for five weeks, but I have faith in Varane and Nacho. They're very good players, they're enthusiastic and keen to play," the former Chelsea boss told Real Madrid's official website
"I'm certain they'll perform well tomorrow and won't have any problems. There's no need to worry about the players who'll be featuring tomorrow. The Real Madrid squad is extremely competitive and the players will demonstrate that"."
The former AC Milan boss despite admitting that Real were poor against Atletico during the two sides' meeting in the Copa Del Rey, is confident that his side will do well on Saturday.
"There are a lot of factors to take into account. We didn't play well in the last two meetings in the Copa," added the Italian. "This is a crucial part of the season and a derby provides us with a lot of motivation. I think we have prepared well for this match, we are confident and I'm convinced we'll do well."
Also, Ancelotti feels that Cristiano Ronaldo's return from a two match suspension (following a straight red card against Cordoba) will be a boost to Real Madrid ahead of their trip to the Vicente Calderón.
"Cristiano Ronaldo's comeback is important for us," he told reporters. "It's very good news. We won two games without him, but he's certainly going to help us against Atletico."
Meanwhile, Atletico will certainly be fancying their chances against the La Liga leaders especially considering their record against Real Madrid this season.
However, despite their excellent record over the Los Blancos, Atletico, who won the Spanish league title in 2013/14, have not been that impressive in the La Liga this season as they are currently in third place seven points behind leaders Real Madrid.
Still a victory would help them close down the gap to three points, and Atletico midfielder Koke says that his side are hoping to get another positive result against Real Madrid on Saturday.
"We will try to do what we always do and hopefully we'll be able to come out with a good result," the midfielder told Marca. "There are no favourites for a match at this level. We're both very good teams and we're in good form. We'll see what happens.''
Atletico boss Diego Simeone also echoed Koke's thoughts, insisting that his side will be looking for a win despite admitting that they know they are "facing a great team."
"We're very respectful to all our rivals. We know that we're facing a great team, with excellent players and a grand coach. With our characteristics and our ideas, we'll try to take the match where we want to."
Possible starting lineups:
Atletico Madrid: Moya; Juanfran, Godin, Miranda, Siqueira; Turan, Gabi, Tiago, Koke; Mandzukic, Griezmann
Real Madrid: Casillas; Carvajal, Ramos, Varane, Coentrao; Isco, Kroos, Khedira; Bale, Benzema, Ronaldo
Where to Watch Live
The La Liga match is set to begin at 4 pm local time (8.30 pm IST, 3 pm GMT, 10 am ET) with live coverage in India on Star Sports 1 and Star Sports HD 1 . Viewers in India can also catch all the match via live streaming online on Starsports.com.
Viewers in the UK can catch all the action on Sky Sports 5 and Sky Sports 5 HD, while the option to live stream is on Sky Go. The Madrid Derby will be shown live in the US and Canada on Bein Sports USA and Bein Sports Canada respectively with the live streaming option on Bein Sports Connect.
Viewers in the Middle East and North Africa can catch the match on Bein Sports Arabia or Bein Sports Connect, while audience in Australia can take in the action live on Fox Sports 4 and Foxtel Play.
