It’s all set.
The soccer world will watch an all-Madrid affair on May 24 in Lisbon when Atletico Madrid faces Real Madrid in the 2014 UEFA Champions League final. While the clubs call the same city home, they share little in common.
As its name suggests, Real Madrid is soccer royalty — arguably Europe’s biggest, richest and most successful club. Yet, Real Madrid hasn’t won the Champions League since 2002, and anyone connected with the club will readily admit that winning “La Decima” (or a record 10th European Cup) is an obsession. Having beaten defending champion Bayern Munich in the semifinal on Tuesday, Real Madrid is almost there.
Meanwhile, Atletico Madrid is the ultimate underdog story, as head coach Diego Simeone has taken the club out of Real Madrid’s shadow and launched an assault on domestic and European supremacy this season. Having reached its first European Cup final since 1974, Atletico Madrid would love nothing more than to keep the hands of its bitter rival off the prestigious trophy for one more season. Atletico Madrid impressively dispatched Chelsea in the other semifinal on Wednesday. It looks to complete the fairy tale next month.
These teams have met four times in 2013-14. Visiting Atletico Madrid won 1-0 on Sept. 28 in La Liga (Spanish first division). Real Madrid won 3-0 and 2-0 in the two-game Copa del Rey (Spanish Cup) semifinal on Feb. 5 and 11. Real Madrid then held host Atletico Madrid to a 2-2 draw in La Liga on March 2.
Here are a few fun facts about how the two teams stack up.
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Review Real Madrid’s semifinal victory over Bayern Munich>>
Review Atletico Madrid’s semifinal victory over Chelsea>>
Photo via Twitter/@ZubairuAs
