Jose Mourinho and Diego Simeone will renew their managerial rivalry when Atletico Madrid welcome Real Madrid to the Metropolitano Stadium on Sunday, ending a hiatus of over ten years between head-to-head encounters.
The two managers last faced each other in 2014, when Mourinho was in charge of Chelsea and Atletico eliminated the English side from the Champions League at Stamford Bridge. Prior to that, they met in La Liga during Mourinho’s first tenure at Real Madrid, with the Portuguese manager securing a 4-1 victory away at Atletico’s former Vicente Calderon Stadium.
This upcoming fixture also marks the third time the pair have confronted each other in a Madrid derby, following Atletico’s 2-1 extra-time victory over Real in the 2013 Copa del Rey final.
Mourinho acknowledged the unique atmosphere surrounding the match, stating, “This is a derby. Derbies are always something more special because of the history, the culture of the games and the passion of the fans.” However, he remained pragmatic about the objective, adding, “But obviously three points is most important thing.”
Real Madrid enter the contest second in La Liga with 15 points from six games, trailing leaders Barcelona by six points. A defeat would widen that gap to six points after seven matches. In contrast, Atletico sit fourth on 13 points but arrive with momentum, having secured back-to-back wins against Real Sociedad and Osasuna following defeats to Athletic Club and Liverpool.
Mourinho has recorded three wins and a draw from his six previous meetings with Simeone. He addressed Real’s recent struggles with composure, noting that while the league is a “marathon,” his side has demonstrated resilience by scoring late winners in several fixtures.
Home advantage could prove decisive, as Real Madrid have won only two of their past 11 away games at the Metropolitano, with their last La Liga victory there coming four years ago. Atletico dominated the corresponding fixture last season with a 5-2 win, which served as an early setback for then-manager Xabi Alonso’s project.
Simeone, who has managed Atletico since 2011, identified Real’s transitional quality as their primary threat. “They’re better in transition than us,” he said. “When there’s a loss of possession, they look for [Kylian] Mbappe and Vinicius Jr, they play to that strength.”
Atletico are managing injury concerns, with Julian Alvarez and Alexander Sorloth sidelined. However, new signing Jonathan David has found the net in consecutive appearances. Simeone urged his squad to maintain calm amidst the high-pressure environment, emphasizing that “football is about composure.”
Despite the competitive tension, mutual respect persists between the two managers. Simeone described Mourinho as someone he has “been an admirer of for a long time,” while Mourinho highlighted his adaptability, noting, “I’ve evolved alongside my players.”
After 100 days in charge, Mourinho declined to offer a personal assessment, stating simply, “All I can say is that I’ve given it my all. I gave 100%. We have to keep on doing that every day.”
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