Anatomy of an upset: 3 ways Atletico can turn the table on Real Madrid

Despite all of his success with Atletico Madrid in recent seasons, which includes a La Liga crown and a Copa del Rey triumph - the latter being won at the Santiago Bernabeu, over Real Madrid, no less - Diego Simeone has thus far failed to overcome one consistent hurdle during his celebrated tenure at the Vicente Calderon.

He'll get another chance beginning this week, as his Rojiblancos meet Real in the Champions League for a fourth consecutive campaign; two bitter losses in the 2014 and 2016 finals, in which Atleti came within inches of tasting victory only to lose once in extra time (after a last-minute equaliser) and then again on penalties, were sandwiched by a slim quarter-final defeat in 2015.

Is this the year Simeone and Co. vanquish their white whale?

Here are three ways Atletico Madrid can finally flip the Champions League script, and claim a famous victory over its illustrious neighbour.

Turn the tie into a slugfest

For all of Simeone's efforts this season to transform Atletico from an exclusively defensive unit into one that can play some attractive attacking football, the club has retained its identity as a scrappy, dogged outfit that can make things ugly when the situation calls for it.

A meeting with Real Madrid is an occasion that requires exactly that.

Simply put, the reigning European champion is, man-for-man, by far the more talented of these two inhabitants of the Spanish capital; that's not a knock on Atletico, but an admission of just how ridiculously loaded Zinedine Zidane's squad is, in virtually every position.

Atleti, led by diminutive dynamo Antoine Griezmann, has scored 65 goals in La Liga this season. It's a perfectly commendable tally. The third best in Spain, in fact.

Real Madrid looks down on that total with the condescension of an older sibling. Los Blancos have hit the back of the net 92 times in the league so far. Yeah, there's a discrepancy here.

Trying to go blow-for-blow with a superior opponent would be a mistake. Instead, Atletico needs to exploit the advantages it does have.

Aside from eschewing their (somewhat) more expansive style and reverting to their impenetrable best, the Rojiblancos need to, for lack of a better phrase, get stuck in. Straddling the line between channelled aggression and reckless tackling will be key; if Atletico exhibits some guile, and gets match officials who will overlook some roughhousing and be reserved in the use of their whistles, Simeone's men will be in with a shot of pulling off the upset.

Don't miss any damn penalties

When you're the underdog that needs multiple things to go your way in order to send Goliath crashing down, one thing that is absolutely vital is pouncing on the opportunities you do get.

That's been a well-documented issue for Atletico this season, as far as penalties are concerned; it borders on baffling, really. For a side boasting the likes of Griezmann, Kevin Gameiro, Yannick Carrasco, Saul Niguez, and Fernando Torres, Atleti has converted only five of 13 chances from the spot this year, good enough for a rather pathetic 38 percent clip.

The breakdown makes for grim reading:

Last season's Champions League final, of course, featured a spot-kick from the wavy-haired Frenchman that smacked the underside of the crossbar and bounced out in the opening minutes of the second half.

Should another golden opportunity present itself, Griezmann - or whomever is tasked with the duty - can't afford to let it go begging.

Hope Ronaldo forgets to eat his Wheaties

This one is as simple as it sounds: if Cristiano Ronaldo is at his best, it's probably a wrap. Such is the advantage Real Madrid enjoys over (almost) everybody by employing arguably the best player alive.

Even as he continues to evolve into more of a stationary No. 9, and less of an explosive winger, Ronaldo is dangerous as ever. Perhaps more so now, actually, that he's finding himself inside the penalty area - where he can do maximum damage - more often.

The really frightening thing is that the photogenic Portuguese can decide matches even when he's not at his best; he scored five of Real's six goals in the quarter-final win over Bayern Munich, and, you could argue, didn't play particularly well in the process. (Yes, two were offside, but that's moot now).

Little as we all care to admit, luck plays a significant role in this sport, and Atletico will need some good fortune by catching Ronaldo on a pair of days where he isn't at his superlative, net-bulging best.

Unfortunately for Los Colchoneros, those have been rare in recent meetings between the two city rivals. The prolific 32-year-old has eight goals against Atletico in all competitions over the past five seasons.

(Photos courtesy of Action Images)