Real Madrid vs Atletico Madrid: Champions League Final Preview & Prediction

Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid face each other in the Champions League final for the second time in three seasons at the San Siro on Saturday night.

The arch-rivals from the Spanish capital met back in 2014, where Real ran out comfortable 4-1 winners to win their 10th European Cup after extra time, despite needing a Sergio Ramos goal in the 93rd minute to draw the tie level.

Atletico, who are looking for success in this competition for the first time in their 113-year history, will be more confident this time around though, having seen off the likes of Barcelona and Bayern Munich on their way to the final.

As well as fighting for this prestigious trophy, both teams were also title contenders in La Liga this term, narrowly missing out to the eventual champions Barca, who finished one and three points ahead of Real and Atletico respectively.

Diego Simeone’s men ended their league campaign having conceded just 18 goals in their 38 matches, including seven clean sheets in their last nine fixtures of the campaign, and they will look to that resolute defending to help them get the win in Milan.

Meanwhile Real, who despite finishing above their rivals in Spain, have won just one of the last six competitive meetings between the two clubs, including a 1-0 defeat at the Bernabeu in February – one of only two defeats in 26 matches since Zinedine Zidane took over when Rafa Benitez was sacked in January.

However, the Frenchman has fond memories of this competition having scored and won the cup as a player with Real in 2002, and has been boosted by the news that Cristiano Ronaldo, who has netted 16 goals in this season’s Champions League – as many as the whole Atletico squad – has declared himself fit having previously been an injury doubt.

Team News:

For Real, Cristiano Ronaldo is fit and is likely to start alongside Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema in attack.

Simeone only has one selection headache – whether he starts Stefan Savic or Jose Maria Gimenez alongside Diego Godin in central defence – while former Liverpool and Chelsea striker Fernando Torres will be looking to win his first major trophy with Atletico at the age of 32.

League Position: Real Madrid – 2nd (90 pts); Atletico Madrid – 3rd (88 pts)
Previous Meeting: Real Madrid 0-1 Atletico Madrid (February 27, 2016)
Form: Real Madrid – Cristiano Ronaldo; Atletico Madrid – Antoine Griezmann
Key Men: Real Madrid – WDWWWW; Atletico Madrid – WWWLLW
Shoot Says: Real Madrid 1-2 Atletico Madrid

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