Since then it's has been a wave of white supremacy lead by their sacred number seven, Raúl Gonzalez Blanco. It could have been so different had the Atletico president Jesus Gil not thrown Raúl out of the club in 1992 when he eradicated the Cadete system which Raúl had been a part of since 1990. Two years later 'El Ferrari' signed for Real Madrid, and set upon a one man mission to heap misery upon his former employers. He scored his first goal for Real in the derby, his second match, and set up two more in a 4-2 win. 10 further goals in 25 derbys would definitely constitute revenge in my books.
Much of the build-up to the match has been built around whether Raúl will start, and if Atletico's 'saviour' Sergio Agüero can break the ten year jinx. Yesterday Real manager Pelligrini, hinted that Raúl would be given a start, only to name him among the subs today. Only time will tell if this decision comes back to haunt the Chilean, but Raúl's derby experience, as well as scoring record against Atletico, is a priceless asset. The manager has bowed to pressure from some sections of the Bernabeu to drop Raúl; Benzema had better prove them right.
Agüero knows what it's like to score against Real, but it was in vain; another deflating 2-1 defeat in the Bernabeu last year. So will today be a case of commeth the hour, commeth 'El Kun'? More important will be the opening minutes and Atleticos defence. Real have made a habit of putting the game to bed within the first 5 minutes of the derby, as much as Atletico's defence has made a habit of capitulating. What Atletico need to do is start a habit of winning derbys......and then staying up.
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