Their UEFA Champions League final experience would hardly be more different but the coaches of Real Madrid CF and Club Atlético de Madrid are United in the belief that their meeting in Lisbon a tactical battle will be decided by which set of players ' receive the right instructions '.
While they have a first for 12 years-nine-time winners Madrid in their 13th European Cup final – Atlético de only previous venture to this phase ended in disappointment in 1974. This is coach Diego Simeone's debut season in the UEFA Champions League; his opposite number Carlo Ancelotti, on the other hand, has an association with the competition stretching back nearly 30 years.
"I have a lot of this contest; I have won it four times, this is my seventh final, so I don't ask for more, "said the Madrid coach. "Everyone knows how important this game is for Real Madrid but my job is to do my best to help us win this contest – and we are really close."
Atlético been European Cup but not in the last forty years have lifted the UEFA Europa League in 2010 and 2012, do not lack for big-game experience – a point their coach was keen to stress.
"This is a great opportunity and a great opportunity; I don't feel so overwhelmed as some people seem to think, but I feel the responsibility, "said Simeone. "There is a lot of people who trust in us and I hope we can live up to that."
Diego Costa (hamstring) and Arda Turan (pelvic) have been having intensive treatments on injuries sustained in last Saturday's Liga-clinching 1-1 draw against FC Barcelona, and Simeone refused to be drawn on their likely availability-or otherwise.
"They trained better [Thursday] so we'll have to see how they train and feeling and we will decide on that basis," he explained. "Arda and Costa are just names; they are both very important players in the team, but there's other players who can come in. We are prepared for what happens. "
On the side of Madrid, 16-goal Cristiano Ronaldo missed last weekend closure of the League's 3-1 win against RCD Espanyol while Karim Benzema (muscle) and Pepe (calf) are injury doubts. "Cristiano does not have any problems, he trained well," Ancelotti said.
"He is a very important weapon-his stats are there for everyone to see, and we need him. Pepe and Benzema have not trained this week. They have to start training with the others, and then we will see. "
Simeone – that could be the third non-European coach to capture the European Cup football club tournament-was quick to point out the importance of the "ignore all external factors" around the biggest game in club football and played down his own role in Atlético de remarkable successes since his arrival 2011. "This is great; as coaches, we have grown as a result of the players we have worked with, "he said.
"I have to work according to what my players need and want to set of the match in the best way possible. We know where we have to be careful and we will try to find ways to move forward. "We just won the Spanish League, a great success, but there is work to be done for this unique competition". "
As for the Merengues Ancelotti knows exactly what will be required of him in the last hour before kick-off. "You can say many things, or you can say nothing. My work is focused on the tactics that we use; I have very clear instructions give my players. These are the games where you don't have to work hard to motivate them-they are highly motivated. I now have a lot of dreams. [' La Décima '] you can consider an obsession or a dream. My thought is that it is a dream, and we would like to reach the dream. "
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