May 1 – The Champions League Final in Lisbon later this month will be the first featuring two clubs from the same city after Atletico Madrid joined Real Madrid in the showpiece climax to the European club season.
Following last year’s all-German final at Wembley, Atletico, for so long living in the shadow of their cross-city rivals, now have the opportunity under their charismatic coach Diego Simeone to win a domestic and European double following their 3-1 semifinal aggregate win over Chelsea that prevented Jose Mourinho making an emotional return to his native Portugal against the side he left for a second spell in London.
Without many star players but with fantastic teamwork and organisation, Atletico, who were Europa League champions in 2010 and 2012 but have never won Europe’s elite competition (they were beaten finalists in 1974), are four points clear at the top of La Liga, which they haven’t won since 1996, with three games remaining.
They now stand on the brink of history with the remarkable incentive of an intriguing Champions League showdown with Real, with thousands of Madrid fans making the relatively short journey across Iberia to the Portuguese capital on May 24.
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