Real Madrid vs. Atletico Madrid: Key Players, Live Stream, UCL Final Predictions

Atletico Madrid will be out for revenge against local rivals Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League final on Saturday, as they seek to be crowned kings of European football for the first time in their history.

In the 2013-14 edition of the competition, Atletico were seconds away from glory, before Sergio Ramos leaped to level things in stoppage time; Los Blancos picked apart Diego Simeone’s deflated troops in extra time, winning 4-1 after 120 minutes. 

Much has changed since two terms ago, and after both sides fell short in pursuit of the Liga title to Barcelona, this is a chance for them to add a silver flourish to the season in what promises to be a pulsating contest.

Here’s a look at who will be the key figures on the night and where to catch the action via a stream.

Date: Saturday, May 28

Time: 7:45 p.m. (BST), 2:45 p.m. (ET)

Live Stream: BT Sport website (UK), FOX Soccer 2Go (U.S.)

Goalkeepers Set to Shine

Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty Images

Cristiano Ronaldo, Antoine Griezmann, Gareth Bale, Fernando Torres and Karim Benzema are all set to feature in Saturday’s climax to the competition, bringing together some of the game’s stellar attacking stars. But it’s unlikely to result in too many goals.

When the teams met in 2014, two set pieces did the trick in normal time before Los Blancos ran riot, with neither side able to sustain attacking pressure. With no player wanting to be the man who makes a costly error, that’s no surprise, and the pattern of the match is likely to be cagey once again.

Both sides have exceptional goalkeepers between the sticks in Keylor Navas and Jan Oblak, too; these numbers from the Champions League Twitter and Bleacher Report UK sum up how good they are:

Additionally, the defensive structure of both teams is to be admired. Real coach Zinedine Zidane has shored up the XI by utilising Casemiro at the base of midfield.

In Pepe and Ramos, he also has two experienced operators, with the latter often saving his best moments for the biggest matches. That was something Atletico found out to their cost in 2014.

Manuel Queimadelos Alonso/Getty Images

Atletico’s rise under Simeone has been forged on the basis of an unbending defensive shape, now marshalled expertly by Diego Godin and Jose Maria Gimenez, with the exceptional Oblak at the base.

As noted by OptaJose, it’s unlikely they’ll allow Real Madrid to launch any of their trademark counter-attacks:

It’d be wonderful to see the likes of Ronaldo and Griezmann leave their mark on this final and for both sides to flex their muscles in an attacking sense.

After so many months of hard work to get to this stage, though, neither will want to give their rival an inch, and the result will be a subsequently scrappy final.

Real Experience Key

PIERRE-PHILIPPE MARCOU/Getty Images

While Real are the more illustrious of the two sides and, with 10 European Cups secured, have a superior pedigree, Bleacher Report’s Sam Tighe thinks Atletico are better positioned coming into this one:

Atletico will be extremely difficult to get the better of, as they’ve shown throughout this entire competition. They’ll be organised, tenacious and defensively sound in Milan.

However, Real are a side that seem to be building momentum towards this showpiece and have preserved a core of players who were involved in the win two years ago.

Additionally, while both Benzema and Ronaldo looked jaded going into the previous final, they’ve both been in exceptional form recently, as has the entire team since Zidane took over, per Read La Liga:

It’s going to be a tight game in which clear-cut chances are at a premium, but Real are better-equipped to cope with those kinds of matches under Zidane.

They can be pragmatic, have had their cavalier instincts stifled and are able to adapt the way they play during matches. Don’t expect frustrations to fester as they seek to unpick the Atletico door.

Simeone’s men have shown they are capable of going toe-to-toe with Europe’s elite this season, having left Barcelona and Bayern Munich with bloodied noses on their way to Milan.

But there’s something intangibly enhancing about the iconic white strip on these momentous occasions, and Real will make their mark on the big stage again.

Prediction: Real Madrid 1-0 Atletico Madrid