It's a city divided as Real Madrid take on Atletico Madrid in the Champions League final. The San Siro showdown is a repeat of the 2014 final in Lisbon, where Atleti suffered late heartbreak.
Real are looking for their 11th European Cup -- La Undecima -- while revenge is on Atletico's mind; the two-time runners-up denied two years ago in the dying seconds of the match.
Joseph Walker (Atletico Madrid) and Ed Alvarez (Real Madrid) preview the match.
Make a case for while you'll win this one
Joseph Walker: Where to start? The past 10 Madrid derbies, for example. Atletico have won five, drawn four and lost just one, which is a very handsome record. Then there is the fact that Barcelona and Bayern Munich (better teams than Real Madrid) have been disposed of en route to the final, whereas Madrid's sternest test in the knockout round was probably against Roma. Finally, Atleti only shipped 18 La Liga goals all campaign and the backline is solid as a rock. If any set of players can keep out the fabled BBC attacking threat of Real, it is Diego Godin and co.
Ed Alvarez: After the overwhelming amount of evidence in favour of Atletico repeated non-stop by their fans in the last couple of weeks, one wonders why they even bother playing the final. Well, probably because it's a final, unpredictable matches by nature in which your defensive record or whom you have eliminated hardly matter.
Incidentally, Real Madrid defeated Atletico in one only two years ago, and eliminated them in the tournament's quarterfinals last season. But probably the biggest reason why Real Madrid stand a decent chance is that this will be the first time they can start their best line-up against Atletico this season. The phenomenal Gareth Bale hasn't played a single minute against Atletico yet. His presence could tip the balance towards the Madridistas' .
Simeone vs. Zidane: Who has the edge?
JW: Diego Simeone. Lest we forget who masterminded Zinedine Zidane's only La Liga defeat as a manager in his own backyard in February. The Argentine has achieved the unthinkable in breaking the Real-Barcelona hegemony at the summit of La Liga, and thanks to the 46-year-old Atletico are now capital kings. If he were to lead Atleti to Champions League glory, it would not only be the greatest achievement in the club's history, but it would also be cause for huge embarrassment at the Bernabeu -- something everyone would like to see.
EA: I fully agree with Joe's choice. Simeone does have the edge because he's obviously more experienced and indeed has achieved amazing heights with Atletico, winning a 38-match tournament against the two Spanish giants. He's already a legend after only four-and-a-half years on the Rojiblancos' bench, while Zidane just arrived and needs time to confirm expectations. But I guess Atletico would have had to finish La Liga in front of Real Madrid to be crowned capital kings, no? And I don't think losing to this Atletico, arguably the toughest side to play against in Europe, would be a reason for Real Madrid to feel embarrassed, or any other team for that matter.
Key Battle
JW: Koke vs. Casemiro. Not the conventional choice given the attacking and defensive talent on show from both sides, however their duel will be pivotal. Casemiro is a vital cog in the Madrid machine: put simply, he gives Real equilibrium and provides much needed protection to the back four that the likes of Luka Modric and Toni Kroos cannot provide. He likes to give the ball as quickly as possible to his midfield partners, so if Koke can suffocate him with high-intensity pressing and cause the man who keeps the balance between Madrid's defence and midfield to have an off night, Atleti can really get at Madrid's back four.
EA: Gareth Bale vs. Filipe Luis. The midfield battle will matter indeed, but one of the reasons why Real Madrid can win this match is that they don't need to dominate the middle of the park to score. In this final month of the season, Bale looks sharp and hungry, and this is his occasion to shine after a year full of very untimely injuries. Real Madrid will try to feed the Welshman on Filipe Luis' flank. The Atletico full-back will need plenty of help from the rest of the team to contain him.
What bearing, if any, does the Lisbon final have on this one?
JW: Simeone and all the Atletico players who have spoken to the media have toed the party line that "this is another game," playing down the idea of revenge. Of course there is the psychology that would come with leading the match 1-0 with two minutes to go and Real Madrid getting a corner; we all know what happened last time. But Los Colchoneros have put that out of their mind. It is a much-changed Atleti XI and those who remain have two more years of experience under their belt, thus it should not be too much of a problem.
EA: This is obviously not just another game for anyone involved. Atletico's backbone is still there with Juanfran, Godin, Koke, Gabi and even Tiago, back from his injury. Those are the players that make the Rojiblancos the kind of team they are, and it's difficult to erase such a traumatic memory in a replay only two years later. This could get Atletico an extra touch of anxiety that could play as a double-edged sword: it could give them an additional bit of stamina, or could get them over-frustrated if things don't go their way. Real Madrid players have the recollection of the huge reward they got because they fought until the very end, and that is always useful.
Ronaldo vs. Griezmann - who's more important?
JW: Definitely Griezmann. Atletico have become heavily reliant on the Frenchman to provide moments of magic, goals and assists when they most need it. If Los Rojiblancos are going to get anything out of the game, smart money says it will be the No. 7 who is the difference maker, just as he was when the sides last met at the Bernabeu in February. A total of 22 goals in La Liga kept Atletico in the title race until the penultimate weekend, while he has proven to be the man for the big occasion in the Champions League too, scoring the decisive goals against both Barcelona and Bayern Munich.
EA: Agreed with Joe. Atletico depend a lot more on the Frenchman than Real Madrid do on the Portuguese striker. The Madridistas enjoy plenty of attacking options that not necessarily require Ronaldo's participation, even more since the appearance of Casemiro freed Kroos and Modric to venture forward more often. That said, without Ronaldo's scoring prowess, Real Madrid would have not stayed alive until the last weekend of the season in La Liga, and would have not eliminated mighty Wolfsburg either.
Prediction
JW: 2-0 Atletico. Gareth Bale's hare-brained comment about how no Atleti player would get into the Real XI will come back to haunt him, big time.
EA: 1-0 Real Madrid. It won't be pretty, but Zidane's Real Madrid have finally learned to win matches the ugly way, and a Champions League final is the right place to prove it.
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