Diego Simeone prioritised recovery over meticulous planning ahead of the Madrid derby, though he believes Atletico Madrid are ready for the clash.

Real Madrid currently sit top of LaLiga with 49 points, one more than Atletico, who would finish the weekend in first if they get the better of their rivals.

Simeone's side thrashed Getafe 5-0 in the Copa del Rey on Tuesday to reach the quarter-finals, extending their unbeaten streak to five matches in all competitions. 

But with hopes of extending it in their top-of-the-table clash with Madrid, Simeone said Atletico's focus had yet to turn to Saturday's game.

"We haven't talked about the match yet," Simeone told a press conference on Friday.

"We have chosen to recover well and tomorrow afternoon we will decide where we are going to be in the match, knowing that we are facing an opponent with great individualities, which makes them extremely dangerous.

"With all that context, knowing what we're going to face, we'll be prepared to play the game we want to play."

Recent Madrid derbies have been tight, with four 1-1 draws and two wins for each side in the league over the past four years. Atletico snatched a dramatic late equaliser in the reverse fixture in September thanks to Angel Correa.

However, Madrid have not won any of the last four league fixtures between the teams (D3 L1). They have not failed to win more league derbies in a row against them since February 2016 (G6 D2 L4).

Atletico, though, have been strong on their travels to the Santiago Bernabeu, collecting points in eight of their last 11 away games against Madrid in LaLiga (W3 D5 L3), as many points as in their previous 26 away games against them in the competition (W3 D5 L18).

"We know what we're up against, a rival who will start off strong, very determined," Simeone said.

"They're very good with and without controlling the space, and we will have to take the game to where we think we can hurt them."

Madrid will host Atletico coming off a last-gasp 3-2 win over lowly local rivals Leganes in the Copa del Rey quarter-finals and a 1-0 league defeat at Espanyol last weekend, their third of the campaign.

Atletico have won their last three games across all competitions, including a 4-1 victory at RB Salzburg that helped them secure a top-eight finish in the league phase of the Champions League.

The Argentine coach added that he had not decided on his lineup for Saturday's match.

"You have to interpret what is most important for the team," he continued.

"I imagine a 95 or 96-minute match where we need to be prepared for everything. Everything has an influence, from who starts to who finishes."