Mansion Sports – The Madrid Derby will be presented once again. This time, Atletico Madrid will face Real Madrid in the semifinal round of the Supercopa de Espana.

The match is scheduled to take place at King Abdullah Sports City on Thursday, 08 January 2026, at 22.00 local time.

Atletico are seeking to claim their fourth Spanish Super Cup title, while Los Blancos are targeting the trophy for the 14th time in the club’s long and illustrious history.

Now, before this match begins, let us take a look at Mansion Sports’ predictions for the Atletico Madrid vs Real Madrid January 2026 lineups below.

Team Conditions Ahead of the Match

Atletico Madrid

Atletico may be unbeaten in their last five competitive matches, but they were left frustrated by a 1-1 draw against Real Sociedad in Sunday’s match at the Reale Arena.

Alexander Sorloth broke the deadlock against his former club in the 50th minute, but his fifth La Liga goal of the season was quickly cancelled out by Goncalo Guedes.

That result forced Atleti to settle for a single point, leaving them in fourth place in the standings and 11 points behind league leaders Barcelona.

Under these circumstances, Atletico’s realistic hopes of winning the league for the first time since the 2020–21 season appear to have already faded by the midpoint of the La Liga campaign.

This situation makes the Spanish Super Cup, the Copa del Rey, and the Champions League increasingly important if they are to end a five-year wait for silverware.

Atletico, who qualified for the Super Cup by finishing third last season, will travel to Saudi Arabia hoping to lift the trophy for the third time in their history, having previously done so in 1985 and 2014.

Diego Simeone’s side have won only one of their three semifinal matches in the four-team format, with their sole success coming in 2020 when they defeated Barcelona 3-2 before eventually losing on penalties to Real Madrid in the final.

Since then, they have been eliminated in the semifinals by Athletic Bilbao and Real Madrid in 2022 and 2024 respectively.

This highlights that another difficult challenge awaits Los Colchoneros if they are to progress to the final against Barcelona or Athletic Bilbao this week.

Atletico can at least take confidence from the most recent Madrid derby in September, when Julian Alvarez scored twice in a convincing 5-2 victory over Real Madrid at the Metropolitano. It was the first time they had scored five goals against their city rivals in nearly 75 years.

Real Madrid

Real Madrid head coach Xabi Alonso has successfully eased the pressure that had begun to build around him after recording four consecutive victories, including a dominant 5-1 home win over Real Betis last weekend despite the absence of the injured Kylian Mbappe.

Forward Gonzalo Garcia emerged as the star in Mbappe’s absence, scoring with his right foot, left foot, and head to become the youngest player to register a perfect hat-trick in La Liga in the 21st century, at the age of 21 years and 286 days.

Raul Asencio and Fran Garcia also got their names on the scoresheet as Real Madrid marched toward their eighth home win from nine league matches.

That result allowed the second-placed side to close the gap on Barcelona to four points after the league leaders secured a 2-0 victory over Espanyol on Saturday.

Alonso now has the opportunity to further strengthen his position as Real Madrid manager, knowing that two more wins would secure his first trophy since replacing Carlo Ancelotti at the end of last season.

Real Madrid, who were heavily beaten by Barcelona in last season’s Super Cup final, have lifted this trophy in three of the six editions of the four-team format, most recently in 2024 when they defeated Atletico 5-3 after extra time before thrashing Barcelona 4-1 in the final.

In fact, Los Blancos have failed to reach the final only once in the four-team format, when they lost 2-1 to Athletic Club in the 2021 Super Cup, which was held behind closed doors in Malaga.

However, Real Madrid may have some concerns, as they have beaten Atletico only once in normal time across their last seven meetings.

In addition, they have not kept a clean sheet in this derby since a 2-0 home league victory in December 2021.

Atletico Madrid vs Real Madrid Predicted Lineups – January 2026

Atletico Madrid (4-4-2)

Atletico Madrid will still be without Clement Lenglet and Nicolas Gonzalez, who remain in Spain to continue their recovery from knee and hamstring injuries.

Midfielder Pablo Barrios is also a doubt for Thursday’s semifinal after being withdrawn in the first half of Sunday’s match due to a calf problem.

Conor Gallagher, who replaced Barrios at the Reale Arena, has a chance to start alongside Koke in midfield, although Johnny Cardoso is another option for Simeone.

Robin Le Normand is also pushing for a place in the starting lineup after coming on as a first-half substitute against his former club, Real Sociedad.

Real Madrid (4-2-3-1)

In the Los Blancos camp, Mbappe will remain in Madrid to continue his recovery from a knee injury that ruled him out of the victory over Betis.

Eder Militao also did not travel with the squad due to a hamstring issue, while Moroccan international Brahim Diaz is still representing his country at the Africa Cup of Nations.

Right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold has been included in the squad, although there remain significant doubts over whether he is fit enough to feature in the semifinal or a potential final.

Dean Huijsen could be drafted into the back line if he recovers from a minor injury that kept him out of Real Madrid’s first match of 2026.

With the current conditions of both teams and the predicted player selections, this semifinal match is certain to be intense and full of narrative.

The Madrid Derby in the Super Cup is not only about which side prevails on the night, but also about a crucial momentum boost heading into the remainder of the season.

For supporters, anticipating this clash along with the Lineups Atletico Madrid vs Real Madrid January 2026 is an integral part of a major spectacle that should not be missed.