Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone admitted his side have to be prepared for tough top-of-the-table clash against city rivals Real Madrid.
Real sit a point above Atletico at the summit of the standings with 49 points, and four off third-placed Barcelona.
Atleti thumped Getafe 5-0 in the Copa del Rey on Tuesday, and Simeone somewhat surprisingly revealed his side are recovering rather than intense preparation.
“We haven’t talked about the match yet,” Simeone said in his press conference on Friday.
“We have chosen to recover well and tomorrow afternoon we will decide where we are going to be in the match, knowing that we are facing an opponent with great individualities, which makes them extremely dangerous.
“With all that context, knowing what we’re going to face, we’ll be prepared to play the game we want to play.”
The last few Madrid derbies have been a tight affair, with 1-1 draws in four of them and two wins for each side in the league over the past four years.
However, Real have not emerged victorious in any of the last four league meetings between the teams.
“We know what we’re up against, a rival who will start off strong, very determined,” Simeone added.
“They’re very good with and without controlling the space, and we will have to take the game to where we think we can hurt them.”
Real play host Atletico coming off a last-gasp 3-2 win over lowly local rivals Leganes in the Copa del Rey quarter-finals and a 1-0 league defeat at Espanyol last weekend, their third in the campaign.
Atletico have won their last three games across all competitions, including a 4-1 victory at RB Salzburg that helped them secure a top-eight finish in the league phase of the Champions League.
The Argentine coach also added that he had not decided on his lineup for Saturday’s match.
“You have to interpret what is most important for the team,” he continued.
“I imagine a 95 or 96-minute match where we need to be prepared for everything. Everything has an influence, from who starts to who finishes.”
