Saudi Arabia, once again, takes another initiative towards becoming the world’s epicenter for football/futbol/soccer. On Wednesday they’ll host the Spanish Super Cup semifinal where Real Madrid will take on Atletico Madrid.
Yes, it’s a Capital City derby on the Arabian peninsula, and it comes just a couple weeks after the Saudis hosted the Club World Cup.
El Derbi Madrileño FYIs
Competition: Supercopa de Espana Semifinals
Kickoff: Wed. Jan. 10, 8pm, Al Awwal Stadium, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Starting XI Predictions: Real Madrid Atletico Madrid
Team News: Real Madrid Atletico Madrid
European football book authored by The Sports Bank Founder Paul M. Banks: go here
Form Guide: Real Madrid: WWWWW Atletico Madrid: LDWLW
And entering this season, you had a summer transfer window in which the Saudi Pro League was one of the most dominant storylines. The desert winds of change are blowing, and it’s all part of the oil-rich nation’s ambitions to host a future World Cup. We’ll save that discussion for another time and space however.
For now, let’s take a look at what lineup Diego Simeone might select, in hopes of winning the next installment of the Madrid derby.
Atletico Madrid Starting XI Prediction vs Real Madrid
Jan Oblak; Axel Witsel, Jose Maria Gimenez, Mario Hermoso; Koke; Rodrigo Riquelme, Marcos Llorente, Rodrigo De Paul, Samuel Lino; Antoine Griezmann, Alvaro Morata.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He’s written for numerous publications, including the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. He regularly appears on NTD News and WGN News Now, while writing for the International Baseball Writers Association of America. You can follow the website on Twitter.