Nobody ever thought Atletico would make it into the final. They have always been that team you would commend for punching above their weight, but wouldn't believe they could match up to the might of Barcelona or Bayern.
Not only have Atletico matched those giants, they deservedly beat both of them and now find themselves in the big showpiece final. They will be underdogs against their title rivals and the European heavyweights. But if we are to look at this on the facts, Atletico have had to beat the two favorites to get here whilst Real haven't yet faced a team that you would even consider as title-contenders.
So Atleticou ought to be the favorites?
Don't tell that to Simeone. They were the outsiders against Bayern and Barcelona, and came out victorious. So he is more than happy to be given that same title if it means they will end up as Champions League winners and put right what went wrong for them when the two same cats met in 2014.
For Simeone this will have to be the game that will require his most meticulous preparation. He knows and his players too as well that they can beat their city rivals. If this was a league game, you would probably even go with Atletico to win. But Simoene is not preparing for any game. This is the Champions League final and it will be Real Madrid at their very best.
This is no La Liga or Copa Del Rey game.
I think Diego will tell his boys to go into this final just like they did the previous two games against Bayern and Barcelona. Not being overconfident, because a final is a final and form counts for nothing, but to have confidence that if they play a perfect game that they can beat Real.
The defensive discipline, hard work, along with their very skillful and smart players will be the comibination that Simeone will look for to unlock and dismember Real. This is a much better team than the one in 2014, and those players that weren't in that final will know through Gabi, Godin and the others that were there how important this game is. It's not only a local derby but a case of sweet revenge that they want to take.
Keep Simeone as the underdog. It's how he likes it. HH
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