3 ways Real Madrid can beat Atlético de Madrid

Note from Managing Madrid: We decided to offer Atlético de Madrid blogger Robbie Dunne from The Mattress Makers Blog to give Managing Madrid his insight on how Los Rojiblancos can be beaten. You can find Lucas Navarrete's piece about how Atlético de Madrid can beat Real Madrid here.

1. Attack the centre of the field. It is easier said than done against Atletico but if you can find a way to play direct passes into this very congested area of the field and force Atletico's central midfield to keep you out then you have a chance of opening up Atletico like never before. They force so much play down the wings and conduct play in such a manner than no team is ever really "in control" against them. Take control of the middle and you are more than half way to a victory.
2. Razor Sharp Counters. Atletico Madrid tend to keep the house very safe but they do push lots of players forward on set-pieces and commit a lot of time and resources to hitting their opponents on these specified moves, which includes corners, frees and throw-ins in dangerous positions. They don't have the fastest midfield and centre back pairing and if you can get Iker Casillas on his toes and push the ball to the feet of players like Ronaldo and Jese, if he plays, then you could manage a goal that will force Atletico out of their shells.
3. Use Their Aggression Against Them. Atletico Madrid skate a very fine line between influencing games with their behaviour and losing all control and letting it affect their game. If Real Madrid can manage to keep their cool, don't get involved in a shouting match and allow the referee do his job, they will eventually get a call or two when it matters. Felix Brych has been put in charge of the game and was done so because he is one of the very top referees in the game. If Real Madrid let the crowd make the noise they will be left with nothing to do but play football and this could make all the difference in a game that will likely be decided by the finest of margins.