Three talking points ahead of Real Madrid vs Atletico Madrid | UEFA Champions League | OneFootball

The UEFA Champions League draw threw Real Madrid in the deep end as they got drawn into the same bracket as Liverpool, Arsenal, PSG, and Atletico Madrid.

While Los Blancos have no one to blame but themselves for not finishing higher up the standings in the league phase and securing a better seeding, they now must simply accept their fate and take on the opponents hurled at them.

The first, in just the Round of 16 stage, are Atletico Madrid who present a steep challenge to Los Blancos over the next two weeks.

As always, the knockout game will be played over two legs. Atletico Madrid have the privilege of playing the second leg at home as they finished in the Top-8 in the league stage, and the first leg kicks off in under 24 hours at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Madrid Universal brings you three talking points ahead of Real Madrid vs Atletico Madrid.

In need of an inspiration-boost

Real Madrid’s defeat to Real Betis earlier this week proved costly as Los Blancos handed Barcelona and Atletico Madrid a tangible lead over them in La Liga.

While it would seem understandable for every team to have off-days, what made the defeat at Estadio Benito Villamarin concerning was the sheer manner in which the game played out.

Over 90 minutes, Real Madrid may have been the better side for no more than half an hour and the hosts took over and dominated Los Blancos quite convincingly in the middle phase of the game.

Real Betis were superior, not only in front of goal but also in creating chances, and what is worrying is the fact that the Merengues were so clearly second-best.

Having struggled so direly against the sixth-placed side in La Liga, they now go head to head against one of the teams ahead of them on the domestic standings and it is unsurprising why there is an element of uncertainty over their chances.

Real Madrid looked deflated at Estadio Benito Villamarin. The defence was shaky without Raul Asencio, while Vinicius Jr. and Kylian Mbappe dropping stinkers and the full-backs simply fell flat on their face.

If the men in white are to put up any form of resistance against Atletico Madrid tomorrow, they must first look to draw inspiration and come out desiring the result from within.

The UEFA Champions League is a good enough motivator, but Carlo Ancelotti must look to do more to usher the team forward given their recent rut.

A suspension that bears heavy

Jude Bellingham is ruled out vs Atletico. (Photo by Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/Getty Images)

The factors working in favour of and against both teams split themselves up quite evenly ahead of tomorrow’s game considering not only form but also the venue.

One factor that may well just hand Atletico Madrid a slight edge is the fact that Real Madrid will be without one of their best and most fundamental stars on the night – Jude Bellingham.

The English midfielder received a suspension for the first leg of the Round of 16 after piling up an accumulation of yellow cards in the competition and will thus be unavailable in what comes as a huge blow for the hosts.

Bellingham, coincidentally, has been out of action for Real Madrid’s last two league outings as well owing to a separate suspension and tomorrow will thus be the team’s third game without his services in their last four matches.

While they did manage to beat Girona without him on the field, the game against Betis spoke volumes as to what Los Blancos lose without the former Borussia Dortmund star on the field.

The onus of finding an able system without Bellingham tomorrow falls on Ancelotti. All signs point to Brahim Diaz starting alongside Rodrygo, Vinicius Jr., and Kylian Mbappe but it remains to be seen if that solution is defensively stable.

A complicated opposition

While Barcelona and Real Madrid have largely been the talk of the town in Spain this season, Atletico Madrid have quietly walked down their path and established themselves as one of the best in the league.

Largely under the radar, Los Rojiblancos have shown to not only have it in them to dominate and win games but also grind out the difficult results.

Atletico Madrid, after all, are the only team to have not lost any of the four games they have played against Barcelona and Real Madrid this season, showing their ability to hold their own under pressure.

Facing Diego Simeone’s side in the Round of 16 in the UEFA Champions League, thus, may well be Real Madrid’s single biggest obstacle in their pursuit of a title defence especially given how Los Rojiblancos neutralised the threat in both Madrid derbies.

From a statistical perspective, the Colchoneros’ last defeat across all competitions was in mid-January when they fell to Leganes. Their last defeat before that would take one back to October.

Now unbeaten in ten games, they will be confident of their chances against Real Madrid. With the second leg scheduled at home, they will look to take even a silent draw tomorrow and the onus will be on Real Madrid to make the most of the crowd support.