Watch Real Madrid v Atletico Madrid as the two stablemates from the Spanish capital meet in the round of 16 first leg in the 2024/2025 Champions League.
Here, FourFourTwo brings you all the information on how to watch Real against Atleti, with a free live stream among the TV options, plus the ability to watch from anywhere with a VPN.
Key information
• Real Madrid v Atletico Madrid Date: Tuesday, 4 March, 2025
• Real Madrid v Atletico Madrid Kick-off time: 8pm GMT / 3pm ET
• Real Madrid v Atletico Madrid Venue: Estadio Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid, Spain
• Real Madrid v Atletico Madrid FREE Stream: Virgin Media (Ireland)
• Real Madrid v Atletico Madrid TV & Streaming: TNT Sports, Discovery+ (UK) / Paramount+ (US)
• Watch from anywhere: Try NordVPN risk-free
Watch Real Madrid v Atletico Madrid for FREE
You catch watch Real Madrid v Atletico Madrid for free if you're in Ireland, with Virgin Media providing free live TV coverage and streaming for the Champions League clash.
Virgin Media shares rights for select Champions League fixtures with RTÉ in Ireland, but Real Madrid v Atletico Madrid will be shown on Virgin Media Two on this occasion.
• Not in Ireland right now? You can still access your Virgin Media coverage when travelling, by using a VPN – more on that below.
How to watch Real Madrid v Atletico Madrid from anywhere
What if you're away from home for the Madrid derby? That doesn't mean you can't watch the game. Your broadcaster may have geo-restrictions in place but there is a handy solution in the form of a VPN.
A Virtual Private Network - to give it the full name - is a piece of software that sets your IP address to make your device appear to be in any country in the world. Provided it complies with your broadcaster’s T&Cs, you can use a VPN to unblock the streaming services you subscribe to, and it's also great for your internet security.
FourFourTwo’s colleagues TechRadar have tested hundreds of VPNs and they reckon NordVPN is the best VPN provider on the market.
Watch Real Madrid v Atletico Madrid in the UK
Fans in the UK can watch Real Madrid v Atletico Madrid on TNT Sports and Discovery+, the main Champions League rights-holder in the UK.
The game will be shown on TNT Sports 1 on TV, with a live stream on Discovery+, the streaming home of TNT Sports coverage online. Coverage starts directly after Club Brugge v Aston Villa in the early evening slot.
Watch Real Madrid v Atletico Madrid in the US
Paramount+ will have a Real Madrid v Atletico Madrid live stream, as well as every other game Champions League game on Tuesday.
Where else can I watch Real Madrid v Atletico Madrid?
Canada: DAZN
Australia: Stan Sport
New Zealand: DAZN
South Africa: SuperSport
For full information on global broadcast options, check out our guide to Champions League live streams 2024/25.
Real Madrid v Atletico Madrid: Match Preview
As match-ups go, it scarcely gets better than this, on a number of different fronts.
For a standalone European clash, it's excellent: two city rivals going head-to-head in a knockout Champions League fixture. But there are even more wrinkles to this one.
The pair are currently locked into a three-way battle for the La Liga crown – along with Barcelona – in a throwback to the 2020/21 season, when Los Rojiblancos last lifted the Spanish title.
Fast forward to today and almost all the characters are different, save for one Diego Simeone in the Atleti dugout.
The boss' personality seeps out of the 11 men he fields: a well-drilled outfit, ready for war and masters of The Dark Arts, with extreme quality in a frontline consisting of Julian Alvarez and Antoine Griezmann. If there's any drop in concentration, then Simeone has his own actual son on the pitch, 22-year-old Giuliano, to knock things back into shape.
If you can characterise Atleti as dogged workhorses, battling for every ball and half-chance, then Real are something towards opposite end of the scale.
Every position in Carlo Ancelotti's side is dripping in luxury: players who wouldn't look out of place in a world XI, genuine superstars who are drawing understandable comparisons with the Galacticos squads of years gone by — and, despite some teething problems, for good reason.
Nevertheless, the two styles have clashed and presented challenges for each other twice already this season, both occasions ending in a 1-1 draw.
One thing is for certain, though – there must be a winner from these two legs.
The pride of Madrid is at stake over two weeks. Make sure you don't miss the first instalment.
