Atletico Madrid vs Real Madrid predictions: Alvarez can shine on big occasion again
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- Real Madrid won the first leg 2-1 at the Bernabeu
- Julian Alvarez's brilliant effort kept Atletico in the tie
- Recommended Bet: Julian Alvarez to score at anytime
Defeat at the Bernabeu means that Atletico need to beat their local rivals at the fourth time of asking this season, having suffered a blow to their LaLiga title aspirations at the weekend with a 2-1 defeat against Getafe.
Real Madrid made up lost ground with a 2-1 home win against Rayo Vallecano, which has seen them move above Atletico into second place and they now turn their attention to retaining the Champions League that they won last season.
Team news
Koke is the only player unavailable for the Atletico manager Diego Simeone.
Dani Carvajal, Eder Militao and Dani Ceballos are all injured for Real Madrid.
Jude Bellingham is available again for the visitors, having been suspended for the first leg and could replace last week's match-winner Brahim Diaz.
The stats
Atletico are unbeaten in their last 12 home games, winning 10 times and drawing twice.
Real Madrid have conceded in nine of their last 11 outings across all competitions.
Alvarez's goal in the first leg was his 22nd of the season, with seven of those coming from nine Champions League appearances.
This will be the fourth time that these sides have met this season, with Real Madrid winning the first Champions League match and both La Liga games ending in 1-1 draws.
Prediction
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Atletico Madrid are still very much in this, but they will have no doubts as to how hard this task is against their city rivals.
With only 18 goals conceded this season in 27 games, Simeone's side have the best defensive record in Spain, yet they have failed to keep a clean sheet in three attempts against Real this season.
Few teams can, especially on these Champions League nights when the grand history of Los Blancos in this competition seems to inspire the current crop, regardless of how they are faring domestically.
In Alvarez, the hosts at least have a central figure who can provide a cutting edge, which is often an aspect that has been lacking from Simeone's teams over the years.
The Argentine has scored in each of his last two games against Real and has found the net four times in his last three home matches in this competition, making his odds of finding the net again seem generous.
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