Having fought until the end to deny Barcelona or Real Madrid from an usual triumph in La Liga, Atletico Madrid could rightfully appropriate themselves with the tag of “Europe’s team of the year”.
They enter Saturday’s gargantuan clash as Spanish Primera Division champions – in other words, as the kings of Spain’s capital whereas Los Blancos could only finish third.
At this point, calling Atleti “underdogs” would be a wrong statement. The Rojiblancos are the only unbeaten team in the 2013/14 UEFA Champions League.
It would take something special for Real Madrid to condemn their city rivals to their first defeat in Europe this season; and the nine-time European champions perhaps possess that “special” something after dismantling titleholders Bayern Munich 5-0 on aggregate in the semi-finals.
Live online and TV broadcast – When and where to watch the match
Watch the 2013/14 UEFA Champions League final – Real Madrid vs Atletico Madrid – in live streaming:
- In USA at 14:45 ET:
| United States | Fox Soccer 2Go, Fox Deportes, Fox Sports GO, FOX Network, SiriusXM FC |
- In UK at 19:45 BST:
| United Kingdom | Sky Go Extra, Sky Sports Events Centre, Sky Sports 1 Ireland, BBC Radio 5 Live, UTV, STV Scotland, Sky Go, ITV 1, ITV Player, Sky Sports 1/HD |
- In Canada at 14:45 ET:
| Canada | Sportsnet World, TVA Sports, Sportsnet West, Sportsnet East, Univision Canada, Sportsnet World Online, Sportsnet Pacific, Sportsnet Ontario |
- In Spain at 20:45 CEST:
| Spain | C+ Liga de Campeones / HD, TV3 »live stream, TVE, RTVE.es, Canal+ Yomvi, Esport3 |
- In Portugal at 19:45 WEST:
| Portugal | Sport TV LIVE, TVI |
The hype: 2013/14 UEFA Champions League final pre-match quotes
What Real Madrid have been saying:
- Carlo Ancelotti, the Italian genius who could lift his fifth Champions League trophy after winning it twice as a player and as a coach so far: “We will try to get the tactics right; when you're focused on what you have to do on the pitch, you forget about the fear. [...] I have a good understanding of these types of games, this will be my seventh such final. I have the experience to prepare for this match in the best way possible.”
- Cristiano Ronaldo, the £80M superstar whose mission is to deliver La Decima: “The keys are staying focused, calm, trying to score, playing well, enjoying ourselves and not obsessing too much about things. […] La Decima is the trophy that every Madridista wants. I joined this club to win titles like this.”
- Iker Casillas, the Spanish icon who has clinched two European Championship titles and one World Cup trophy since Real Madrid’s wait for La Decima: “The Champions Leagues I won were different. I was 19 and 21 years old. They were another experience entirely back then, but the desire is even greater now. Hopefully I can lift the trophy; it would be a wonderful moment for everyone, a fantastic end-of-season party.”
What Atletico have been saying:
- Juanfran, a product of Real Madrid’s youth side: “For the Atleti fans and for us, winning our first European Cup competes with their desire for the tenth. In ambition and desire, no one can beat us.”
- Filipe Luis, who was controversially left out of Brazil’s World Cup 2014 squad: “We follow the philosophy of the game-by-game and the Champions final was never mentioned until today. We’re living in the moment, the past is left behind and we’re only thinking on how to resolve Saturday’s fixture in the best possible way.”
- Diego Simeone, whose tactics broke the Barca-Real duopoly in La Liga: “Praises are always nice but it's facts that count, and the fact is getting on the pitch on Saturday to show what we want in order to win such a beautiful game as the one that will be played.”
Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid's semi-finals triumphs [Image by FOX Deportes]
When and where to watch the 2014 Champions League final in other top countries (listed alphabetically)
- In African & Arabic countries at 18:45 GMT / 19:45 WAT / 20:45 SAST: beIN Sports Arabia 6 HD, beIN Sports Arabia 8 HD, beIN Sports Arabia 11 HD, SuperSport Select, SuperSport 3 Africa, SLGO, SuperSport Streaming, TV3 Ghana, GTV, SuperSport 3 Nigeria, SuperSport HD 3 Nigeria, etv, SuperSport Select SA, SuperSport Maximo
- In Australia at 04:45 AEST: ESPN Pacific Rim, ESPN3 Australia, ESPN Australia, SBS One Australia
- In China at 02:45 CST: Sina Sports, CCTV-5, CNTV Sports, QQ Sports Live, CCTV 5+ VIP
- In France at 20:45 CEST: Canal+ France, TF1
- In Germany at 20:45 CEST: Sky Sport 1 HD, ZDF, Sky Sport 1 Germany, ZDF Sport Live Stream, Zattoo, Sky Go
- In Greece at 21:45 EEST: HPRT Web TV Live, Nova Sports 1
- In India at 00:15 IST on Sunday, May 25: TEN Sports LIVE, TEN Sports India, Ten HD, Ten Action
- In Indonesia at 01:45 WIB on Sunday, May 25: SCTV, Nex Entertainment, Liputan Champions
- In Italy at 20:45 CEST: Premium Calcio
- In Japan at 03:45 JST on Sunday, May 25: SKY PerfecTV LIVE, Sukachan 0
- In Malaysia at 02:45 MYT on Sunday, May 25: Astro SuperSport 3, Astro On The Go
- In Mexico at 13:45 CDT: Televisa Deportes En Vivo, Canal 5 Televisa, ESPN DOS, ESPN Mexico
- In the Netherlands at 20:45 CEST: NOS, Sport1 Select HD, Nederland 3, Sport1 Live
- In Singapore at 02:45 SGT on Sunday, May 25: mio Stadium LIVE, 111 mio Sports 1
- In Turkey at 21:45 EEST: NTV Spor, Star TV, Dsmart Isteizle Live
If you live outside the countries listed above, visit the Real Madrid-Atletico 2014 Champions League final match page for worldwide broadcast listings and live scores upon kick-off.
