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Champions League battle: Who wins, Real or Atletico?

Glam and glitzy Real are aiming for their 11th European crown, while down and dirty neighbours Atletico are gunning for their very first. Real scored 110 league goals this season...

 

MADRID, SPAIN - FEBRUARY 27: ... of Real Madrid ... during the La Liga match between Real Madrid CF and Club Atletico de Madrid at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu on February 27, 2016 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Real Madrid via Getty Images)

MADRID, SPAIN – FEBRUARY 27: … of Real Madrid … during the La Liga match between Real Madrid CF and Club Atletico de Madrid at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu on February 27, 2016 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Real Madrid via Getty Images)

Glam and glitzy Real are aiming for their 11th European crown, while down and dirty neighbours Atletico are gunning for their very first.

Real scored 110 league goals this season; Atletico mustered only 63. But Real conceded 34, while their miserly opponents allowed just 18.

One team boasts a galaxy of superstars who sometimes struggle for collective cohesion; the other relies on a lesser-known cast of workers who sacrifice personal glory for the good of the group.

Whichever way you look at it, this climax to the European domestic season contains plenty of intriguing storylines. Here, BBC Sport examines the most compelling.

Guiding your team into the Champions League final less than five months into your first managerial job at senior level is no mean achievement.

And when you consider Zinedine Zidane also reignited Real Madrid’s previously faltering La Liga challenge by finishing the season with 12 straight victories – including a 2-1 triumph over arch-rivals Barcelona – you might think the French coach had already earned himself job security.

The soap opera life at the Bernabeu, however, has seen Zidane face questions over his future in virtually every news conference he has held in recent weeks.

At probably any other club, Zidane’s future would be assured, because he has done an excellent job since taking over from much-maligned predecessor Rafa Benitez in January.

Interestingly, the key turning point came at the end of February when Zidane suffered his first defeat as Real manager, a dispiriting 1-0 home loss against none other than Atletico.

Real’s tame performance in that encounter sparked a significant reaction from the recently-appointed coach, who immediately installed defensive midfielder Casemiro into his starting line-up, injecting much-needed strength and solidity into the centre of the pitch.

Casemiro has become fundamental to Zidane’s Real, his physical attributes and tactical awareness providing support for the back four and giving the team better balance.

Standing in the way of Zidane, Ronaldo, Bale and co are a fiercely-committed Atletico team who are utterly determined to uphold the theory that this weekend is their turn to taste glory.

Atletico have, of course, an additional motivation for revenge after being denied their first European crown two years ago, when Sergio Ramos’ injury-time header allowed Real to force extra time. They eventually won at a canter against an exhausted Atletico.

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