Mourinho Faces Simeone as Madrid Derby Returns to Metropolitano
Jose Mourinho takes Real Madrid to Atletico Madrid on Sunday for a derby reunion 12 years in the making.
Diego Simeone will be waiting at the Metropolitano Stadium. League points are on the line. City pride is too.
Real start the weekend second in La Liga, Spain's top flight, with 15 points from six games. Atletico are fourth with 13. Barcelona lead on 21 points, with seven league wins in a run of eight victories in all competitions under Hansi Flick, according to BBC.
Mourinho returned to Real in the summer. Simeone has led Atletico since 2011 and passed 800 games in charge. They have not met as managers since 2014.
That history gives Sunday extra edge. Mourinho holds three wins and one draw from six meetings with Simeone. One came in this fixture, a 4-1 Real win at the Vicente Calderon, Atletico's old home, during Mourinho's first spell in charge.
Simeone had his reply. His Atletico won the 2013 Copa del Rey, Spain's cup competition, to end a 14-year wait for a derby win over Real. A year later, his side knocked Mourinho's Chelsea out of the Champions League, Europe's top club competition, at Stamford Bridge.
Form favours the hosts. Atletico lost to Athletic Club and Liverpool, then hit back with a 3-0 win over Real Sociedad and a 4-0 win over Osasuna. Real edged Elche 3-2 last time out. They led 2-0, were pegged to 2-2, then won it through substitute Carlos Espi in the 91st minute.
The Metropolitano has been a hard trip. Real have won only two of their past 11 away games there. Their last league win at the ground came four years ago. Last season's visit ended in a 5-2 Atletico win, an early blow for Real under Xabi Alonso.
The managers set the tone with respect. Simeone said he has "huge respect" for Mourinho ahead of the game, reported by ESPN. Mourinho pointed to his side's physical and mental strength before the derby, reported by Yahoo Sports.
For fans, this means a night of noise and nerve. Twelve years is a long wait for a second act. Ninety minutes will decide who stays closest to Barcelona at the top.
