The Spanish capital's biggest derby hasn't looked this lopsided in years.
Zinedine Zidane has Real Madrid playing like a winner again for the first time since he started his second stint as coach midway through last season.
Atltico Madrid, in contrast, is at its lowest moment since Diego Simeone transformed the team into a challenger after his arrival eight years ago.
Real Madrid has gone 20 straight games without a loss, including a victory over Atltico in a penalty shootout in the Spanish Super Cup final on Jan. 12. The 4-0 win at second-tier club Zaragoza in the Copa del Rey on Wednesday was the team's seventh win in a row since the winter break.
Madrid will host Atltico on Saturday at the Santiago Bernabeu looking to increase its three-point lead over defending champion Barcelona, which hosts Levante on Sunday.
Zidane led Madrid to an unprecedented three consecutive Champions League titles before stepping down after the 2017-18 season. He returned midway through the next season with the team in tatters after two coaches failed to add to his successes.
Without top scorer Cristiano Ronaldo, Madrid continued to have its ups and downs under Zidane until it finally started to click at the start of this year.
"We are doing well and we want to keep that up. Each game is a test for us,"
"We kept another clean sheet at a tough ground. One of our strengths is that gritty defending."
"I see many positive things about the team, but we haven't won anything yet and there is a long way to go. In the derby we will have to play well again."
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