How Real, Atletico have changed since 2014 final
Since the heartbreak of the 2014 Champions League final, Atletico Madrid has kept up the pace as the third challenger in a league dominated for a decade by two teams. Barcelona and Real Madrid were battling amongst themselves for the La Liga crown until Diego Simeone's Atletico came around and snatched it for itself.
It has forced an adjustment, a change in the landscape of Spanish football. Confirmation came in April, when Atletico shepherded defending champion Barcelona out of the Champions League. Defensive tactics triumphed over the most vicious attack in Europe - to the point where Lionel Messi even failed to touch the ball in the opposing penalty area.
The other half of Madrid has suffered as well. Los Blancos have won just once in the 10 derbies since claiming La Decima, marking a two-year run of vengeance for Simeone and Co. The two meet again Saturday in Milan for Europe's top prize, and although some players will once again appear on familiar sides, this isn't a mirror image of the 2014 final.
For one, Madrid has moved on from the man that helped deliver that trophy. Club president Florentino Perez swapped Carlo Ancelotti for Rafa Benitez last year, and after just seven months in charge, Benitez made way for the well-respected but relatively inexperienced Zinedine Zidane.
Zidane was expected to fail. He didn't. He restored a Madrid team that had lost its attacking impetus, and brought stability back to the Spanish capital.
Luka Modric has enjoyed the biggest improvement. He is now the fulcrum of Madrid, with Zidane entrusting the Croatia international with more midfield responsibilities and a licence to roam.
Madrid noticed a difference as well.
"I am sorry for Rafa and I would like to thank him for his work, but being honest and seeing today's game, I think that the change has been positive," Modric told reporters after Madrid's 5-0 thrashing of Deportivo, Zidane's first match on the bench.
Madrid now plays pacy, direct football, gunning for the goal with an attacking triumvirate that could compete with Barcelona's top three men. Zidane has Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, and Gareth Bale in optimum form, even finding goals despite injuries to all three at various points. Bale saved Madrid when Benzema and Ronaldo went down, as he slotted into a centre-forward position and scored the goals his team desperately needed.
The inclusion of Casemiro in Sami Khedira's old holding role has also served to balance out the side. The Brazilian allows Modric the opportunity to be the main distributor, and the attacking players can do their job without worrying so much about defensive duties.
Zidane, who only earned his UEFA Pro Licence last year, need not employ the counterattacking tactics that defined Madrid's 2013-14 Champions League run under Ancelotti. Allowing his star players to express themselves is enough.
Atletico, meanwhile, has lived off the counterattack. It has since Simeone arrived in 2011. But the Rojiblancos aren't discouraged from pushing up and daring to play positively.
In a rare case, the stats here tell the story. In 2013-14, when Atletico won La Liga and made the Champions League final, the club managed just 215 offensive chances between both competitions. Contrast that to the past season, and the number is 507 - more than double the chances created.
There's a distinguished will to attack the goal, and that is helped by mobile forwards Antoine Griezmann and Fernando Torres. Griezmann is so multi-faced, equally dangerous coming off the wing and down the middle. He's Atletico's biggest wild card, running all over the pitch and tracking back when necessary.
Torres is an ideal partner. Thought to be past it, the 32-year-old has rediscovered himself at the Vicente Calderon, reaching double digits in league goals for the first time since the 2009-10 campaign. He can tee up Griezmann and surprise defences with his own often-forgotten pace.
They offer so much more than a tiring David Villa and an overly aggressive Diego Costa did together in 2013-14. Most importantly, they're healthy. Injured in the lead-up to the final, Costa only lasted nine minutes in Lisbon.
Real has more to fear in a tandem like Griezmann and Torres, who are difficult to mark individually. With these two forwards in his lineup and an all-around midfielder like Saul Niguez in various positions behind them, Simeone has established a more two-dimensional way of playing.
It's true that this is a repeat of the 2014 showpiece, but these are not the same teams.