Ahead of the Uefa Champions League final between Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid, we predict which team will be lifting the trophy in Milan.
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THOMAS WOODS — SPORTS EDITOR
Diego Simeone’s game plan has worked a treat so far for Atletico. He gets the maximum out of his squad, knowing that they will spend long periods defending when they the very best teams. But it also feels like there is little room for error when your default tactic, if you go ahead, is to defend a one-goal lead. Against Barcelona in the quarter-final first leg, they were under major pressure at 2-1 down for about 15 minutes. Another Barca goal would have killed the tie. Then, in the semi-final, they defended a 1-0 lead in the first leg against Bayern Munich, who really should have scored. They tried to see out the second leg, leading 2-1 on aggregate, by putting every man behind the ball for the last 30 minutes. It worked, but they had to rely on the away goals rule to advance. In six knockout legs, they have only won two matches. Simeone’s counter-attacking plan will fall flat when it matters most.
Prediction: 2-0 Real Madrid
JON TURNER — ONLINE SPORTS EDITOR
The image of Cristiano Ronaldo limping off the training pitch on Tuesday will have Real Madrid fans in a sweat ahead of Saturday’s final. The Portuguese forward remains, by some distance, his team’s best player, and his fitness could prove the defining factor in which way this final goes. Two years ago, Real Madrid and Atletico played out a fiercely-contested final before Real ran away with it in extra-time. However, this year Atletico will end their wait for the European Cup. Atletico are a better side than they were in 2014. Defensively, Diego Simeone’s side are imperious, in midfield they possess guile and industry, and up front a genuine world-class striker in Antoine Griezmann. Atletico proved in the semi-final against Bayern Munich and Barcelona in the last-eight just how difficult they are to beat, and the compact, disciplined, and intense Atletico style should see them prevail in Milan.
Prediction: 1-0 Atletico Madrid
STEVE LUCKINGS — SENIOR SPORTS EDITOR
Ninety two minutes and 48 seconds. That was the time on the clock when Sergio Ramos’s headed goal forced the 2013/14 final into extra time; that was the moment Atletico Madrid were beaten. Real eventually ran out 4-1 winners, their opponents unable to galvanise themselves for an extra 30 minutes after keeping their illustrious neighbours at bay for more than a regulation match. While the message, publicly at least, is that revenge is not on Atletico and their coach Diego Simeone’s mind, rest assured revenge is on Atletico and their coach Diego Simeone’s mind. Real have only beaten their city rivals once in 10 attempts since that Lisbon final two years ago, but when it comes to the European Cup, no team has found a way to win more times than the club from the Bernabeu. There will be no great secret to Atletico’s set-up: a rock solid defence, an inventive and industrious midfield looking to supply a rejuvenated Fernado Torres and a young Frenchman in Antoine Griezmann who looks set to take the world by storm. The Champions League final, followed by the European Championship in his homeland soon after, provides the perfect platform. No team wins by finer margins than Atletico, and I predict a shutout of Ronaldo, Benzema, Bale and Co.
Prediction: 1-0 Atletico Madrid
