Real Madrid vs. Atletico Madrid Predictions, Schedule, Analysis: Which Team Will Win Saturday's Match?

By David Salazar First Posted: Sep 12, 2014 10:53 AM EDT

The Madrid derby returns this weekend in what will undoubtedly be one of the first crucial matches of the 2014-15 season.

Days before they start their Champions League title defense, Real Madrid will take on its biggest rivals in a match that could define their season.

Los Blancos are off to a woeful start in 2014-15 with one victory and one defeat. The 2-0 win over Cordoba was far from convincing and could have easily ended in a draw. But the ensuing 4-2 loss at Real Sociedad was disastrous and proved that every dreadful thought regarding Los Merengues was true.

One must not forget that the team also drew and lost against Atletico Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup a few weeks ago. In those matches, Los Blancos not only looked exposed consistently in the air, but also lacked the ability to unlock Diego Simeone’s strict defense and physical play.

Simeone will not be on the bench in this game as he serves his ban for some actions in the Spanish Super Cup, but his team will likely follow his lead.

Madrid’s confidence must be in the dumps and nobody knows what coach Carlo Ancelotti has in mind. Numerous reports have indicated that a huge lineup change could be in store.

Iker Casillas, who enjoyed a solid performance against Macedonia for Spain (he did make some huge saves for his country against an admittedly weak rival), could find himself on the bench after just two games. He has looked tentative on aerial plays in his box and this has cost the team repeatedly. He was especially fragile in the two Super Cup games against Atletico and few will forget his nearly-costly error in the Champions League final against this very game.

The opponent may be reason enough for Ancelotti to switch his goalies and give Keylor Navas a shot.

But this team needs more than just a change in goal. If anything, that is the least of the team’s problems.

Defense is a huge concern, especially with the recent injury to Dani Carvajal while on international duty. Alvaro Arbeloa is a shadow of the defender he once was and his lack of speed makes him a liability on the right. One can only imagine the field day a guy like Antoine Griezmann will have with Arbeloa.

Some have suggested that Sergio Ramos, the team’s top centerback, could return to his original position and make way for Raphael Varane and Pepe in the middle. But this is highly unlikely. Nacho Fernandez could get a look, but young players do not generally get much favor from Ancelotti.

The other big issue comes with the central defending midfielder. With Xabi Alonso gone, the team has a huge whole to fill. Asier Illarramendi is the heir apparent, but given his lack of play in recent months under Ancelotti, it is unlikely he gets the call in this big game. Additionally, there have been rumors that Ancelotti could try Varane or even Fabio Coentrao in the position. Ancelotti tried a similar experiment in the first Clasico last season when he tried Ramos in the holding midfielder spot. But it failed epically and Ramos was taken out at halftime.

This decision also changes the way that the rest of the midfield is set up. James Rodriguez is expected to play, but he does not fit into Ancelotti’s preferred 4-3-3. To accommodate him in his natural position, Ancelotti would have to play a 4-2-3-1 with Toni Kroos and Luka Modric at the back of the midfield. But this tends to stifle both offensively and helps little defensively, as neither is particularly adept at that part of the game.

There have been rumblings that Kroos would hold while Gareth Bale could get the call in the center of the park to occupy the void left by Angel Di Maria. That way, Rodriguez gets to play on the wing.

As this has shown, Ancelotti has a huge task to assemble. At this very moment, there are basically no players locked into the lineup with the possible exception of Cristiano Ronaldo. It should be interesting to see how Ancelotti lines up his team and whether it is enough to salvage Los Blancos in this crucial home game.