Previewing the 2015-16 Champions League final
The Champions League final and El Derbi Madrileno are, separately, two of the most anticipated fixtures in European football, capable of bringing the planet to a 90-minute standstill.
So, when the two matches happen to merge into one, the magnitude of the occasion can't be understated.
On Saturday, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid will once again take the pitch together in a Champions League final, just as they did only two years ago.
When the two clubs met at Estadio da Luz in 2014, it ended in heartbreak for Atleti. Sergio Ramos scored a 93rd-minute equaliser, and Los Blancos went on to end their long, obsessive wait for La Decima.
Los Colchoneros, meanwhile, were left with nightmares resembling the 1973-74 European Cup final, when the club was similarly seconds away from winning the competition before surrendering the title to Bayern Munich when glory was within view.
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A great deal has changed in the last two years, though, and beyond the rivalry that defines El Derbi Madrileno are individual stakes.
Gareth Bale is out to prove that he's still among the planet's best at the venue where he scored a memorable hat-trick before putting pen to paper with Real Madrid. For Fernando Torres, the Champions League final is "the game of my life." Diego Simeone feels like he has "113 years of history on my shoulders." For Zinedine Zidane, it's a chance to win his third title and his first as a manager. Cristiano Ronaldo can break his own scoring record.
There are so many stories attached to the showdown at San Siro that it can feel overwhelming attempting to absorb it all.
That being said, here's a preview of the 2015-16 Champions League final:
Injuries and Suspensions
Only one notable player will be unable to lace up his cleats.
Due to a tear in his left thigh muscle, Raphael Varane, who has made seven appearances in Real Madrid's road to the Champions League final, will miss out on club football's showpiece. He will also miss Euro 2016 because of the injury, forcing France's national team to call up Adil Rami in his place.
Keep in mind that Varane started for Real Madrid when Los Blancos met Atleti in the Champions League final two years ago and had Simeone sent to the stands after the Argentinian manager ran onto the pitch to rage at the French centre-back. There will be no repeat at San Siro.
Projected Lineups
Real Madrid: Navas; Carvajal, Pepe, Ramos, Marcelo; Casemiro, Kroos, Modric; Bale, Benzema, Ronaldo
Atletico Madrid: Oblak, Juanfran, Godin, Gimenez, Filipe Luis; Koke, Gabi, Fernandez, Niguez; Griezmann, Torres
3 Things to Watch
Ronaldo can re-write the record books
When Real Madrid beat Atleti to finally capture La Decima, Ronaldo converted a penalty kick in the 120th minute that marked his 17th goal of the 2013-14 tournament, setting a record for most goals scored in a Champions League season.
Sitting on 16 goals, Ronaldo can equal or break his own record Saturday in Milan.
It would be as Ronaldo-esque as it gets for the Portuguese footballer to score a 17th or 18th goal on club football's biggest stage, and after Zidane said that the product of Sporting Clube de Portugal is "certainly 100 percent" for the Champions League final having sustained a knock in training, it seems more than possible.
The most important game of Torres' life
Atleti is the club where Torres made his professional debut at only 17 years of age in 2001, and the team he has supported since he was five. He was first taken to the Vicente Calderon by his grandfather.
When Torres returned to Atleti in January 2015 following a spell in the Premier League, he returned as a champion. He had won it during his time at Liverpool and Chelsea, while also scoring the goal that clinched Spain's Euro 2008 title and helping his national team win the 2010 World Cup.
Back together, Torres and Atleti can do something special at San Siro.
Atleti can finally conquer Europe
Since the Champions League's inception in 1955-66, Atleti has never won the competition. Los Colchoneros came close in 1973-74 and, of course, 2013-14, but were cruelly denied of silverware both times, unable to keep their lead until the final whistle.
If the third time is the charm, Atleti will become the 23rd club to win the Champions League.