Five duels which could decide the Madrid Derby

After three derbies already this season, several individual duels have stood out and these rivalries will be resumed once more this Sunday.

The fourth Madrid Derby of the 2023-24 season is coming up this Sunday night and it promises to be an especially fascinating game, given how well these two sets of players know each other. Not only have Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid met three times already this term, but two of the meetings have taken place in 2024 and both of those went to extra time.

After 330 minutes of Madrid Derby action this season, several individual duels have stood out and these rivalries will resume once more when the ball gets rolling on Sunday night at the Bernabeu.

Antonio Rudiger vs Alvaro Morata

One of the individual battles to look out for in this La LIga Madrid Derby will be Antonio Rudiger vs Alvaro Morata. As former teammates from their time together at Chelsea, the centre-back and centre-forward know each other well.

They have also taken to the field as opponents a remarkable 12 times in their careers and Morata has a good scoring record, having netted seven goals during these meetings. The Spaniard couldn’t get past Rudiger in the recent Spanish Super Cup semi-final, though, when the German was dominant and also produced a viral moment by pinching Morata and frustrating the striker. Morata enjoyed some revenge by scoring at Rudiger’s expense in the subsequent Copa del Rey showdown, and now they’ll face off once more this Sunday.

Dani Carvajal vs Samuel Lino

They may be at different stages of their respective careers, but Dani Carvajal and Samuel Lino have been revelations for their teams this season. In the case of Carvajal, the veteran right-back is having one of his best seasons in years for Real