The much anticipated Champions League 2016 final is here and the two Spanish giants Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid go against each other at the altimate fixture at the San Siro in Milan on Saturday night. This is the second time in three years that these two teams are paired against each other in the competition final and it is anyone’s game Italy.

Real Madrid have won the Champions League 10 times and there new Manager Zinedine Zidane will be hoping to win the eleventh title. Zidane, who won the European title with Madrid scoring the winning goal in 2001/02 against Bayer Leverkusen is also aiming to become the seventh man to win a UEFA tournament, both as player and coach.

The neighbours arc-rival Atletico Madrid are hoping for their first Champions League title and they would definitely want to make a corrections for losing the title to Madrid in the last minutes of the 2013/14 final in Lisbon-Portugal. As Simeone has mentioned, his team has overcome two world class teams in Barcelona and Bayern Munich en route to the finals and his men are more than ready to go against Real on Saturday night.

Real Madrid Team News:
Raphael Varane will miss the final and Euro 2016 with a thigh injury, while the veteran full back Alvaro Arbeloa is reported to be struggling with a knee problem.

Real Madrid are dealt a huge blow after Cristiano Ronaldo limped off the pitch during Tuesday’s training session after colliding with reserve keeper Kiko Casilla. He is expected to be feature, even though not fully fit.

Real Madrid possible Line-up (4-3-3)
Goalkeeper : Navas – Defenders :Marcelo, Pepe, Ramos, Carvajal – Midfielders :Kroos, Casemiro, Modric – Forward :Bale, Benzema, Ronaldo.

Atletico Madrid Team News:
Atletico Madrid have no players missing through injury or suspension. He might have some selection headaches as many players as pushing for a start on Saturday night.

Atletico Madrid Possible Line-up (4-4-2)
Goalkeeper :Oblak – Defenders :Felipe Luis, Godin, Gimenez, Juanfran – Midfielders :Carrasco, Gabi, Koke, Niguez – Forward :Torres, Griezmann.

Real Madrid vs Atletico Madrid: Head-to-Head
The both teams have played against each other on 54 occasions so far, Real Madrid won 31, Atletico 9 and 14 draws. The goals aggregate is 94-53 in favour of Real Madrid

Since the Champions League title victory in 2013/14, Real Madrid had beaten Atletico only once in 10 meetings in all competitions. However, the only win was during the quarter finals of last year’s Champions League second leg at Santiago Bernebeu. Atletico Madrid won 5, drawn 4 and lost 1 of the last 10 meetings with Real Madrid.

In this season’s Spanish La Liga fixture, the teams played a 1-1 draw at Vicente Calderon and Atletico earned a 1-0 win at Santiago Bernebeu.

Ronaldo has scored 16 goals in this season’s Champions League so far, need 2 more goals to break his personal best of 17 goals scored during Real Madrid 2013/14 title winning season.

Real Madrid vs Atletico Madrid: Prediction
Finals are hard to predict as both teams will be charged up and giving their all on this historic occasion. Real Madrid have plenty of quality players in their squad and made a huge improvement under Zidane after stuttering in early parts of the season under Rafael Benitez. They are collectively one of the best attacks in Europe at the moment, but there are still doubts in their defensive credentials.

Atletico Madrid are a side built on team unity and hard work. And they won’t be intimidated by their rich neighbours and their recent head-to-head record against Real is a clear evidence of this. For me, Atletico Madrid will go in as slight favourites to win the title on Saturday evening.

With Zidane and Simeone on either benches, we can expect a fierce battle. The last four meetings between the sides had witnessed under 2.5 goals, but I think but i think it will be different this time. The full time score after 90 minutes is expected to stay at 1-1 and may need extra time and penalties to find the winner of UEFA Champions League 2016.

http://www.soccersection.com/real-madrid-and-atletico-madrid/

Anything can happen. Play well. Take the cup

I tip athletico to win by 2-1