This year’s Champions League showdown is a repeat of the 2013-14 final with Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid trying to recreate the memorable final from couple of years ago.
Coming in to the game, both teams are hurting after losing the La Liga title to Barcelona and their season hinges on this one game and whether they are able to end their campaign with the Champions League trophy.
Ahead of the massive kick-off, we take a look at four reasons why Atletico Madrid will be the Champions League winners for 2015/16 season.
Mean Defense
Diego Simeone’s men have conceded the fewest number of goals in both La Liga and Champions League this season. They kept the likes of Barcelona and Bayern Munich at bay in previous rounds of the competition and will hope to do the same with Real as well.
With Jan Oblak in goal and Diego Godin marshaling the back-four, Atletico will hope to gain the upper hand in tonight’s Champions League showdown against their city rivals.
Recent Derby Record
Believe it or not, Atletico have lost just ONE of their last ELEVEN Madrid derbies against their more famed opponents. During that run, Atletico have recorded a 4-0 win while Real have failed to score in four of those matches.
This kind of a run will give Simeone’s side a great belief going in to the Champions League final and no one can deny them an equal chance of eclipsing the ten-time Champions League winners.
Flair Players
Apart from having a mean defense, Los Rojiblancos can score a goal or two when needed. In Antoine Griezmann and Fernando Torres, Atletico have capable goal scorers who can break away at pace and finish chances with ease.
In midfield, Atleti have the creative presence of Koke and Saul Niguez, who will look to break away from Real’s strangle hold on the game and venture forward to find their attackers.
Diego Simeone’s will to succeed
Perhaps he is the only manager who transpires his own passion on to the players and we see that from the way Atleti stars are willing to push all the boundaries to win a game. Even the forward players give their all in defending their lines and fight for the ball.
Atleti’s defense always manages to come up with last-ditched tackles and goal-line clearances. That all comes from Simeone’s passion off the field and sheer desire to win at all cost. That will have a huge say in who comes out as the winner in tonight’s Champions League showdown between the Madrid teams.