The Football Weekend7 Helmi 2025

The Madrid Derby (Feat. Graham Hunter)

It’s first against second in La Liga, as REAL MADRID lead ATLÉTICO MADRID by just a point at the top of the table. Barcelona have fallen away somewhat from their hot start under new boss Hansi Flick, and now Spain’s capital quarrel may answer quite a few questions around who will be crowned champions in May.

It’s all happening just as managers Diego Simeone and Carlo Ancelotti—egged on by the tempestuous football media in Spain—trade barbs over refereeing controversies and Real Madrid’s repeated shattering of Atléti hearts in recent times. This one goes way further back, though. It's a dispute with roots in Spanish football’s earliest history and then—crucially—the Spanish Civil War and the subsequent dictatorship of Francisco Franco.

For much of the ‘60s and ‘70s, as now, Atléti fought their way into the reckoning at the summit of Spanish football, forcing Real Madrid and Barcelona to take notice. The Colchoneros started out as a satellite of Athletic Club de Bilbao, gained then shedded associations with the Spanish military, and then the Madrid derby took on its modern shape: Real Madrid as the establishment club, the continental giants and serial winners. Atléti as the leftist, working-class outfit that proudly embraced a spirit of rebellion.

Here to trace it all and preview this weekend’s encounter is Graham Hunter, storied scribe of Spanish football for ESPN.

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Der Klassiker (Feat. Markus Fjørtoft)

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10 Huhti 202542min

The Manchester Derby (Feat. Carl Anka)

It’s the Manchester derby, UNITED against CITY, but it’s certainly a strange one. Both of these clubs are in a bad way, though that means something different to each of them. City have fallen from cha...

4 Huhti 202554min

The Gran Derbi (Feat. Colin Millar)

The international break is over, and club football returns with the Gran Derbi: REAL BETIS vs SEVILLA.This is one of the most vibrant rivalry matches in world football, Spain's greatest local spat, a ...

28 Maalis 202554min

The League Cup Final (Feat. Laurence McKenna)

There's a Super Sunday on the horizon, with tasty matches back-to-back all day long. Arsenal-Chelsea, title clashes in Italy and Spain. As always, you can get the lowdown on all the matches worth your...

14 Maalis 202549min

MAN UTD vs ARSENAL (Feat. Morayo Bamidele)

MANCHESTER UNITED vs ARSENAL is the essential Premier League rivalry for fans of a certain age. These two clubs battled for titles season after season in the early 2000s in what some might call the le...

7 Maalis 202547min

The Scudetto Match 🇮🇹 (Feat. Nima Tavallaey)

After a frankly disastrous title defense last term, NAPOLI steamed back into contention over the first half of this season under their brilliant and tempestuous new boss, Antonio Conte. But after a bi...

28 Helmi 202537min

MAN CITY vs LIVERPOOL (Feat. Andy Jones)

This was once the match in the Premier League, the perennial title bout, but MANCHESTER CITY have veered perilously off-course this season. LIVERPOOL have cruised to the top of the table, but they’ve ...

21 Helmi 202543min

Germany's Biggest Game (Feat. Nik Wildhagen)

BAYER LEVERKUSEN are no longer invincible. In fact, they’re eight points behind perennial powers BAYERN MUNICH in the Bundesliga table.The Werkself need victory when Bayern come to the BayArena on Sat...

14 Helmi 202536min