Real aims to end Atletico’s unbeaten start

Real Madrid, having avoided a disastrous Champions League exit, faces city rival Atletico on Saturday looking suddenly well-equipped to ruin its unbeaten run.

Karim Benzema scored twice against Borussia Moenchengladbach on Wednesday to end any fears that Real would fail to progress to the group stage after it started the match with its hopes in the balance.

With Sergio Ramos back to lead the defence and Benzema clinical in front of goal, Real eventually went through as group winner with a comfortable 2-0 victory meaning it will avoid many of the big guns in the last-16 draw.

Coach Zinedine Zidane, whose job has been the subject of speculation after a turbulent start to the season, seems safe for now.

Atletico, which leads LaLiga by a single point from the season’s surprise package, Real Sociedad, also booked its ticket to the Champions League knockout stage with a composed 2-0 win against RB Salzburg in Austria.

Diego Simeone’s side goes into the last-16 draw as Group A runner-up behind reigning champion Bayern Munich.

While the city derby — albeit without the fervent crowd such a game normally attracts to the Bernabeu — will dominate headlines on Saturday, Barcelona’s match against Levante on Sunday will also come under intense scrutiny.

Barca is in such disarray that it needs a victory merely to steady the ship after a morale-sapping 3-0 defeat to Juventus in the Champions League.

The Catalans still qualified for the last 16, but as group runners-up Lionel Messi and his teammates risk drawing one of Europe’s big names.

After the tumultuous summer which almost saw Messi depart, Barca and new coach Ronald Koeman never seem to have recovered. It sits an unaccustomed ninth in the table with just 14 points from 10 games.

Goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen said a win against modest Levante, which has just three points fewer than the Catalans, was essential.

“In La Liga we are not where we want to be but we can claw back some points and that is the aim in the next few weeks.

“We’re playing at home and we can’t afford to drop a single point now.”

Sociedad, meanwhile, takes on Eibar on Sunday.