Real Madrid-Atlético, the derby of truth

The pandemic has emptied the stadiums and compressed the calendars, so that the competition tightens without the need for disgruntled or frightened fans to participate in the siege.

The tension lives in the frenzy that goes from the night on the edge of the Champions League on Wednesday to that of the derby for the League this Saturday at the Alfredo di Stéfano (9:00 p.m., Movistar LaLiga).

Real Madrid have not had symptoms of a certain recovery for a week, after winning with very solid versions against Sevilla and Borussia Mönchengladbach, and already receive the next near-limit test in Valdebebas.

Atlético is more launched than ever in the League with Simeone, at the top of the table, with six points of advantage over the whites and one game less.

From Sánchez Pizjuán last Saturday to Di Stéfano on Wednesday, Zidane managed to keep the team on its feet, but coming only the following Saturday, the options in the domestic tournament can move away to an abysmal distance only in mid-December.

"Here there are only always finals," Zidane said this Friday.

On the other bench, Simeone arrives installed at the crossroads between the audacity that has raised them to the top of the league table and the custom of prudence that took them out on Wednesday from the hot flash they shared with their rivals this Saturday, staying out of the Champions League before reaching the crosses.

While he is deciding what outfit Simeone is going to face a season that can be long as a solo leader, he puts on the same suit to the speech, uncomfortable with the tinsel.

The last ones were thrown over this Friday morning by the Madrid coach when evaluating whether Atlético was now the main favorite to win the League: “Yes.

Insurance.

This is what they are demonstrating in the field.

Today they are first and have always been a competitive team, "said the Frenchman.

Hours later, the Argentine sidestepped the compliment, or the observation, as if a blow had been thrown at him: “I don't usually comment on the opinions of colleagues.

Each one has an opinion formed and develops it as he understands.

And I respect any type of opinion, be it positive or negative ”.

While at Atlético they vacillate between the qualifying reality and the discourse, at Madrid they do not avoid the challenge and the self-demand.

"Without thinking that we are the champions, we want to defend what we have won last year," said Zidane, who, like before welcoming Gladbach, wanted to transform vertigo into fortune.

"It is another opportunity to show what we are as a team."

The one this Saturday can take advantage of with two pieces that were fundamental in the moments of greater solidity of the frame but that had fallen injured: Carvajal and Valverde are now ready to play again, at the expense of whether Zidane grabs the block that kept from Sevilla to Gladbach and if he shakes the hype of variations again.

On the other hand, Simeone has to choose not only between courage and caution, but also between the stripes of a Saúl on the decline or the performance shown by Herrera.

With no time to catch a breath, Di Stéfano serves Madrid and Atlético another stress test in a derby for the League.