1:45 AM on May 25th, Real Madrid vs Atletico Madrid: Igniting the Decima!

Atletico Madrid is the most exciting phenomenon not only in Spain, but in Europe, with their La Liga title and a place in the Champions League final. However, Los Rojiblancos' beautiful dream may be shattered tonight. In Lisbon.

Real Madrid vs. Atletico Madrid: Igniting the Decima!

DIFFERENCE IS ESSENCE

This season, Atletico Madrid performed exceptionally well in big matches, successively defeating Porto, AC Milan, Barcelona, ​​and Chelsea in the Champions League, before overcoming Barca to win the La Liga title at Camp Nou. Conversely, Carlo Ancelotti's Real Madrid stumbled repeatedly in big games, losing both La Liga matches to Barca, failing to beat Atletico (1 draw, 1 loss), and narrowly avoiding a comeback defeat against Dortmund in the Champions League quarter-finals.

However, these numbers are only for reference. Statistics can become meaningless in the biggest match of the season. Perhaps Atletico haven't lost a "final," either literally or figuratively, since coach Diego Simeone arrived at Vicente Calderon. But the Champions League final is not the Europa League final, nor the final match in the Copa del Rey, nor the last match in La Liga where Atletico only need a draw to win the title.

In a do-or-die match like this, character and experience are the deciding factors. And in this respect, Atletico cannot compare to their giant neighbors.

THE END OF THE FAIRY TALE

Of course, the suspension of defender Xabi Alonso, the uncertain availability of center-back Pepe, and Cristiano Ronaldo's recent recovery will significantly impact Real Madrid's strength. But the problem is that Atletico Madrid is also in a similar situation, with midfielder Arda Turan only just starting to run again, and Diego Costa's starting chances remaining questionable despite Los Rojiblancos having to call upon the "miracle doctor" Marijana Kovacevic.

Perhaps, as the underdog, Simeone's team doesn't need to attack at all. They just need to play as they did throughout their journey to the final, and they could at least force their opponent into extra time, or even a tense penalty shootout. At that point, winning or losing would become a matter of luck, but perhaps Real Madrid won't let themselves fall into that situation. Because exactly 10 years since their defeat at the Da Luz stadium (Lisbon) in the EURO 2004 final, Cristiano Ronaldo has completely transformed.

CR7 is no longer the naive 19-year-old boy he once was, but has become the world's number one star with the 2013 FIFA Ballon d'Or title. Furthermore, don't think that Ancelotti's team only knows how to attack. If necessary, Real Madrid can also play defensively, as the first leg of the semi-final against Bayern Munich proved.

When the defensive line is the same, the attacking line will decide the victory. In this respect, Atletico cannot yet compare to their opponent. Because, on balance, Real Madrid possesses more game-changing players than their opponent. And all it takes is a few counter-attacks for the White Eagles to win, rekindling their dream of El Decima (their 10th Champions League title) after a 12-year wait.

Referee Bjorn Kuipers, a bad omen for... both teams.

UEFA has appointed referee Bjorn Kuipers to officiate the Champions League final, and this is bad news for... both teams. In their two previous encounters with the Dutch referee, Real Madrid drew with CSKA Moscow and lost to Dortmund. Meanwhile, in their only previous meeting with the 41-year-old, Atletico also failed to win, drawing 2-2 with Chelsea.

INFORMATION

Real Madrid:Alonso is suspended, and Pepe's availability is uncertain.

Atletico:Costa is not guaranteed a starting spot.

According to Asian betting odds, Real Madrid are unbeaten in 9 of their last 13 matches (8 wins, 1 draw), while Atletico have won 3 and lost 3 of their last 6 matches.

According to Asian betting odds, Real Madrid are unbeaten in 11 out of 13 matches where they are considered the "home team" (9 wins, 2 draws).

Real Madrid are unbeaten in 12 out of their previous 15 encounters with Atletico according to Asian handicap (11 wins, 1 draw).

Head-to-head record between the two clubs (across all competitions)

PREDICTED LINEUP

SPECIAL

At least 3 goals:Six out of the last ten Champions League finals have had three or more goals. Twelve out of Real Madrid's last 16 matches have also had at least two goals scored.

At least one goal in the first half:29 out of the previous 31 matches between the two teams had at least one goal in the first half. 19 out of Real Madrid's last 20 matches also had at least one goal scored in the first 45 minutes.

Real are ready for the Decima.

In the 1997/98 season, Predrag Mijatovic's solitary goal ended Real Madrid's 32-year Champions League drought. Two seasons later, the Spanish giants won their next trophy after a 3-0 victory over Valencia in the final. Just two years after that, they claimed their ninth title, thanks to Zinedine Zidane's miraculous volley in the final against Leverkusen. And now, the Madrid team is closer than ever to their tenth trophy, after more than a decade of waiting.

Can Atletico break the record for 21 trophies?

On their journey to the Champions League final, Atletico successively eliminated AC Milan (7 Champions League titles), Barcelona (4) and Chelsea (1). In total, Los Rojiblancos left behind the clubs that had won a total of 12 titles of the number 1 European club competition. And if they beat Real Madrid (9), they will officially break the 21 Champions League titles to become champions.

Statements from the two coaches

Coach Carlo Ancelotti (Real Madrid): “I want to be a part of the club's history, because individual achievements are just a small matter. And from the first day I arrived at Bernabeu, my goal has been to help Real Madrid win the Decima.”

Atletico coach Diego Simeone: “It’s not just now, but we’ve been preparing for this match for quite some time. This will be a clash between teams from the same city, and I believe Atletico will win thanks to our collective play.”

According to Bongdaplus