The stage is set for the 2016 Champions League final and we have an extremely intriguing matchup. Bitter rivals Athletico Madrid and Real Madrid will face off Saturday May 28th in what will be the tactical battle of the season. So much is on the line for both teams. Atleti are seeking their first Champions League trophy and to cement their status as a top tier club in world soccer. Madrid are looking for their record 11th Champions League title and head coach Zinedine Zidane will be looking to solidify his job for the upcoming season. Here is a breakdown of what each team needs to do in order to be lifting the trophy in Milan on Saturday.

Atletico Madrid

There is not a doubt in anyones mind at this point that Atletico Madrid deserve to be here. They have made their way convincingly past Spanish and German champions Barcelona and FC Bayern Munich and made one of the most impressive Champions League runs in recent memory. They were able to do this with a simple game plan: Maintain an organized and solid defense in the back while exploiting teams on set pieces and the counter attack. They will look to do just this in order to defeat their cross town rivals.

Atleti’s defense is not just solid, it is unbelievable. According to ESPN FC, their largest margin of defeat in all competitions this season was by only 1 goal. No team has been able to defeat them by more than one goal all season. Furthermore, they only conceded a minuscule 7 goals in Champions League while tallying 16 themselves. This defense is a brick wall and they complement this with an array of talent on the counter attack.

Atletico’s squad is a wonderful blend of youthful promise and experienced veterans with players such as rising starlet Antoine Griezmann and Fernando Torres heading the attack. They are going to need to exploit Real Madrid’s attacking minded fullbacks, Marcelo and (likely) Dani Carvajal, while they are caught on the attack in order for this counter attack to fully work. Atletico may also look to take advantage of the recklessness that centre backs Pepe and Sergio Ramos have exhibited at times in order to draw unnecessary fouls and gain pivotal set pieces. If they can do this, they have a shot at beating Los Blancos.

Real Madrid

Real Madrid went out in 2014 and crushed the hearts of their bitter rivals with a 4-1 victory that earned them La Decima. But this is a very different Real Madrid team than the one that lifted the coveted Decima. While getting some draws throughout the competition that many would consider favorable, Zidane’s Madrid have fought through adversity and injuries and have made their way into their 2nd final in 4 years. Atletico Madrid have had their number in recent times, and Real need one concrete game plan in order to pull a repeat over their rivals in this competition. The key for Madrid is going to be to limit the fouls and for other players besides Cristiano to step up.

The achilles heal for Real Madrid is often their recklessness on defense. Ramos, Pepe and Carvajal have all been known to unleash their tempers and commit unnecessary fouls on opposing teams. If they commit these fouls, Atletico Madrid will be given the opportunity on set pieces and can score a goal completely against the run of play. We’ve seen countless goals on this Madrid team come from free kicks and corners of them not marking their man and they simply cannot let this happen. It also can make another huge impact on the game. If Madrid racks up fouls throughout the game, this could cause a sending off or substitutions. If this game goes to extra time like the last final, this could be the game changer. Madrid need their whole squad to remain off of the books and to be even tempered in order to keep Atletico’s counter attack contained.

The last key to a Madrid victory is not Cristiano, but one of the other Madrid attacking players. Atletico have been able to contain Cristiano in recent bouts and the difference maker for Madrid may not be the Portuguese star. Look for Cristiano to create space and then have players such as Gareth Bale or even possibly James Rodriguez get chances to make a difference. Karim Benzema will have his chances to make a mark, and he needs to make them count for a Madrid victory. Just like the previous final with Bale and Ramos scoring, another player needs to step up.

Prediction: Real Madrid 2-1 Atletico Madrid

The difference maker for me is that Real is far more experienced at this stage. The youthfulness of Atletico’s under 25 players will show in this final, as it has in legs before this and I see them making mistakes that Madrid are too good not to capitalize on. I believe Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema are the difference makers for Real Madrid. Griezmann is superb but Bale, Benzema and Ronaldo are too much fire power. Madrid seals a close and possibly overtime victory.

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