The cities of Lisbon and Madrid will be grind to a halt on Saturday as Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid contest the 59th UEFA Champions League Final, live on ITV and Sky Sports.
Millions of football fans around the world will be tuning in to see another intriguing final, which this year will be held at Benfica’s home stadium Estadio da Luz.
After nine months en-route to Lisbon via the group stages and the knockout phase, both Madrid sides have made it to the showpiece match, the first time in the tournament’s 59-year history that two rivals from the same city have met in the final.
Lisbon’s Stadium of Light will be packed to the rafters on Saturday night for the eagerly anticipated clash between newly crowned La Liga champions Atletico Madrid and the club with most European Cup to their name in nine-times winners Real Madrid.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale will look to pose the biggest threat as Real seek to win the top prize in European club football for a record tenth time and the first time in 12 years.
By contrast, 2012 Europa League winners Atletico are seeking to win this trophy for the first time after an outstanding season battling for the title in La Liga, with striker Diego Costa, midfielder Koke and goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois potentially their key players.
Atletico will go into the game in confident mood after winning their first league crown since 1996 last Saturday and finally ending the duopoly of Barcelona and Real Madrid in Spanish football.
The last side to achieve that was Valencia back in 2004 and their achievement is all the more remarkable given the wealth of talent at their rivals’ disposal, they’ve had to face just as many distractions in Europe and the fact that they had to visit the cauldron that is the Camp Nou on the final day of the season and get a result to win the title.
Atletico manager Diego Simeone will now turn his attention to Saturday’s Champions League final in Lisbon, where Atleti have the chance to record a remarkable double by beating bitter rivals Real in the Portuguese capital.
Real Madrid reached a record 13th final with a remarkable 5-0 aggregate victory over defending champions Bayern Munich.
They claimed a narrow 1-0 win in the first leg and then ran rampant in the second, responding to Bayern’s blunt, ponderous play with unstoppable pace and power.
They were also helped by the Germans’ alarming inability to deal with set pieces. Twice Sergio Ramos was left unmarked in the box and twice the Spaniard found the net.
Then, with a comfortable lead already established, Real turned on the style with a lightning-quick counter attack that saw Karim Benzema, Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo combine to devastating effect.
Los Blancos have been chasing a tenth European Cup, ‘La Decima’, since 2002.
They’ve been through ten different managers and spent an incredible £905m in transfer fees in pursuit of their goal and still come up short.
Atlético are set to make only their second final appearance in 40 years and will be determined to deny their city rivals once more.
Top of La Liga, Diego Simeone’s team have been a revelation this season. Defensively strong and impressive on the counter, they delivered the heaviest defeat that José Mourinho has suffered at Stamford Bridge in the decisive second leg of their semi-final against Chelsea.
They ran out 3-1 winners thanks to goals from Adrián, Diego Costa and Arda Turan.
Costa is rumoured to have been courted by Chelsea all season long and the Brazilian showed just why, leading the line with constant menace and unflinching aggression.
Koke also impressed in midfield and goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois made a string of fine saves, one of which Mourinho described as “impossible”.
With Real seeking ‘La Decima’, however, they face no easy task and apart from Alonso and Jese it looks as though Los Blancos will have a full squad to choose from.
There were fears over Cristiano Ronaldo after he sat out the club’s 3-1 win over Espanyol on Saturday but coach Carlo Ancelotti is confident he will be available for the final.
This will be the fifth one-country UEFA Champions League final and, having come out on top in the first 14 years ago, Madrid have cause for optimism as they seek their tenth European crown.
In contrast, this is only Atletico’s second European Cup final appearance yet, as the last unbeaten side in this season’s competition, there is no danger of them being underestimated in Lisbon.
Real will start the match as favourites because of their European history, but many pundits believe that Atletico have the team ethic to bring back the Champions League trophy for the first time.
With all eyes focusing on the forthcoming FIFA World Cup in Brazil, the 2013-14 domestic season will draw to a spectacular climax with the 2014 UEFA Champions League Final in Lisbon and you can watch all the action on ITV and Sky Sports.
Read SOTB’s UEFA Champions League Final viewing guide below:
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ITV Sport will screen live coverage of its 20th UEFA Champions League Final to free-to-air audiences from Lisbon’s Estadio da Luz on May 24.
Adrian Chiles will introduce all the action from the all-Madrid final in Lisbon with ITV’s coverage going on-air at 7.00pm, 45-minutes before the match kicks off at 7.45pm.
The build-up will include all the usual features and interviews with the key players and personalities involved in European football’s showpiece occasion.
Joining Chiles in the studio will be England captain Steven Gerrard, who will also talk about his preparations for the World Cup in Brazil.
Regular ITV pundits Roy Keane and Lee Dixon will also be in the studio at the Estadio da Luz to provide expert analysis and comment on proceedings.
Clive Tyldesley will commentate his 17th Champions League final for ITV and he will be alongside Andy Townsend in the commentary box, with Gabriel Clarke providing his usual roving reports and interviews.
There will be extensive post-match analysis and live coverage of trophy presentation ceremony and all celebrations as the winning team savours their moment in the spotlight, plus a highlights show rounding up the night with Adrian Chiles and guests on ITV at 11.30pm.
Coverage is also in high-definition on ITV HD and live streaming of the final will be available online via itv.com/football.
Further news, match updates, reports and video clips from can also be found online via the ITV football website and on Twitter via @itvfootball.
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Saturday 24th May
UEFA Champions League Final: Real Madrid v Atletico Madrid Kick-off: 19:45
LIVE: 7.00pm-10.15pm ITV Highlights: 11.30pm-12.15am ITV.
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Sky Sports will also have every angle covered from the 2014 UEFA Champions League Final in Lisbon.
Jeff Stelling presents the channel’s extensive coverage from the Estadio da Luz, with its pre-match build-up starting at 6.00pm on Sky Sports 1.
Its hour-and-45-minute build-up to kick-off will include in-depth previews, analysis and a look at the two sides with Sky’s studio guests, their route to the showpiece final, plus the stories behind the key characters involved on both sides.
Expert analysis and insights in the Sky Sports studio will come from Champions League regulars Jamie Carragher, Graeme Souness and Jamie Redknapp.
Commentary on the final itself will be provided by Martin Tyler and Gary Neville, while reports and pitchside interviews come from Geoff Shreeves.
All of Sky Sports’ coverage will be available in high-definition and available to view on various platforms, including online, mobile and tablet devices, via Sky Go or the Sky Sports Events Centre.
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Saturday 24th May
UEFA Champions League Final: Real Madrid v Atletico Madrid Kick-off: 19:45
LIVE: 6.00pm-10.30pm Sky Sports 1.
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