Real Madrid v Atletico Madrid Betting Tips [26 January 2023]

A Madrid derby is on the cards in the quarter-final of the Spanish Copa del Rey when Real Madrid host Atletico Madrid at the Bernabeu. Atletico have suffered from a largely disappointing first half of the season, finishing bottom of their Champions League group and occupying fourth-place in the La Liga standings currently. Los Colchoneros have managed nine wins, four draws and five defeats through 18 matches so far, accumulating 31 points and finding themselves a massive 13 points behind leaders Barcelona. They also look set to have a tough battle for the fourth and final Champions League qualification spot as they are level on points with fifth-place Villarreal and have two other teams within three points of their position. Atleti are coming off a strong display in La Liga which saw them put three goals past Valladolid in the first half as the match was effectively over after the first half hour of play. 

Real Madrid come into this matchup looking to end their nine year Copa del Rey drought with their last title in this competition coming in 2014. Since then, they’ve had to witness their bitter rivals Barcelona lift the Copa del Rey trophy on five occasions. Madrid will take confidence by the fact that they have defeated Atletico in five of the last six meetings between the clubs. The most recent clash between the two capital sides ended in a 2-1 away win for Los Blancos in September of 2022. Madrid qualified for this round by way of an excellent comeback which saw them storm back from a two goal deficit to ultimately earn a 3-2 victory over Villarreal after extra time. It was a vital result for the defending La Liga champions, who had just suffered defeat at the hands of Barcelona in the Super Cup final. They would then follow up the Copa del Rey victory with a 2-0 away win against Athletic Club.

Adding to the storyline between these city rivals is that this matchup also sees a rematch of the 2012/13 Copa del Rey final. It was Atletico who would ultimately walk away with the crown on that day thanks to a 2-1 victory. It also represents the last time that Atletico Madrid lifted the Copa del Rey trophy, their 10th triumph in the competition. 

Real Madrid showed their class in their last outing against Athletic Club, converting their chances despite a very even match in terms of the overall run of play. We like them to continue their scoring form, especially with star striker Karim Benzema at the top of his game. Madrid have, however, been prone to leaking goals when playing in front of the home support at the Santiago Bernabeu this season. Atletico have been in solid goal scoring form this season when playing as the away side and they should be able to breach this Real Madrid rearguard at least once. Our Real Madrid vs Atletico Madrid prediction: both teams to score