Portuguese Jose Mourinho, Real Madrid coach, is preparing to play the first derby between his team and Atletico Madrid in the Spanish capital in 13 years, on Sunday, in the seventh round of the Spanish League.
Speaking about the upcoming confrontation, Mourinho recalled memories of the derbies he had experienced during his coaching career, noting that the Milan derby between Inter and Milan was the most surprising to him, given the absence of intense hostility between the supporters of the two teams despite the great rivalry between them, unlike other derby matches he had known in his career.
The match has a special character because it witnesses a renewed confrontation between Mourinho and Argentine Diego Simeone, coach of Atletico Madrid, who in turn showed great respect for the Portuguese, stressing that he had been following his career for years. This summit comes 12 years after the last official confrontation between the coaches, which dates back to 2014 when Simeone succeeded in eliminating Chelsea, led by Mourinho, from the semi-finals of the Champions League.
Real Madrid enters the match with a two-point lead over Atletico Madrid after six rounds, as the two teams strive to achieve victory with the aim of reducing the gap and getting closer to Barcelona, the leaders of the standings, which gives double importance to the capital derby in the struggle to compete for the Spanish League title.
