Holders Real Madrid CF could scarcely face a more familiar foe as they continue their bid to become the first team to successfully defend the UEFA Champions League title with a semi-final against neighbours Club Atlético de Madrid – the side they beat in the finals of 2014 and 2016.
• Madrid have won four of their seven European meetings against Atlético, losing only one, and have ended their city rivals’ UEFA Champions League hopes in each of the last three seasons.
Previous meetings
• This is a fifth European meeting for Real Madrid and Atlético, all in the European Cup, with Madrid having won all four previous ties.
• Their first international fixtures came in the 1958/59 European Cup semi-finals. Madrid won the home first leg 2-1, Héctor Rial’s goal (15) and a Ferenc Puskás penalty (33) overturning Chuzo’s 13th-minute opener. Atlético prevailed in the return thanks to Enrique Collar’s 43rd-minute effort.
• That meant a replay six days later, played in Zaragoza, where Alfredo Di Stéfano’s early strike was swiftly cancelled out by Collar. Puskás delivered the decisive blow three minutes before half-time to take Madrid into a fourth successive final.
• The line-ups at La Romareda on 13 May 1959 were:
Real Madrid: Domínguez, Miche, Santamaría, Lesmes, Ruiz, Zárraga, Mateos, Kopa, Di Stéfano, Puskás, Gento.
Atlético: Pazos, Rivilla, Callejo, Mendiondo, Chuzo, Calleja, Miguel, Agustín, Vavá, Peiró, Collar.
• It was 55 years until the teams’ next European contest, in the 2014 final in Lisbon – the first final fixture involving clubs from the same city in European Cup history. Diego Godín’s header (36) gave newly crowned Spanish champions Atlético the lead, and it looked like that would be enough for Diego Simeone’s side to claim their first European Cup – only for Sergio Ramos to level at the last (90+3). Carlo Ancelotti’s Madrid ran away with it in extra time courtesy of goals from Gareth Bale (110), Marcelo (118) and a Cristiano Ronaldo penalty (120).
• The line-ups at the Estádio do Sport Lisboa e Benfica were:
Real Madrid: Casillas, Carvajal, Varane, Ramos, Fábio Coentrão (Marcelo 59), Khedira (Isco 59), Modrić, Di María, Bale, Benzema (Morata 79), Ronaldo.
Atlético: Courtois, Juanfran, Miranda, Godín, Filipe Luís (Alderweireld 83), Tiago, Koke, Gabi, Raúl García (Sosa 66), Villa, Diego Costa (Adrián López 9).
• Pepe was an unused substitute for Madrid.
• The Merengues also came out on top in the 2014/15 quarter-finals, Javier Hernández heading the only goal of the tie late in the second leg at the Santiago Bernabéu.
• At the Santiago Bernabéu on 22 April 2015, the line-ups were:
Real Madrid: Casillas, Varane, Pepe, Ramos, Fábio Coentrão (Arbeloa 90+1), Carvajal, Kroos, Isco (Illarramendi 90+3), James, Hernández (Jesé 90+2), Ronaldo.
Atlético: Oblak, Juanfran, Miranda, Godín, Jesús Gámez, Tiago (Giménez 86), Koke, Saúl Ñíguez (Gabi 46), Griezmann (Raúl García 65), Arda Turan, Mandžukić.
• Madrid and Atlético both advanced all the way to the final again in 2015/16. Sergio Ramos’ 15th-minute breakthrough in Milan was cancelled out by Atlético substitute Yannick Carrasco 11 minutes from time, Antoine Griezmann having missed a 48th-minute spot kick.
• With no further goals, the match went to penalties. After Lucas Vázquez, Marcelo, Bale and Ramos had converted for Madrid, and Griezmann, Gabi and Saúl Ñíguez had done likewise, Juanfran struck the base of the post with Atlético’s fourth kick, leaving Ronaldo to convert and take the trophy to Madrid for the 11th time.
• The teams at San Siro on 28 May 2016 were:
Real Madrid: Navas, Carvajal (Danilo 52), Ramos, Pepe, Marcelo, Casemiro, Kroos (Isco 72), Modrić, Bale, Benzema (Lucas Vázquez 77), Ronaldo.
Atlético: Oblak, Juanfran, Godín, Savić, Filipe Luís (Lucas Hernández 109), Gabi, Augusto Fernández (Carrasco 46), Koke (Partey 116), Saúl, Griezmann, F Torres.
• The sides have met in 204 league, Spanish Cup and Spanish Super Cup games, with 103 Madrid wins, 51 for Atlético and 50 draws. Atlético have lost just one of their last ten domestic games against their local rivals since losing the 2014 UEFA Champions League final, recording five victories and four draws.
• That sole defeat came in this season’s first Liga encounter, Madrid triumphing 3-0 at the Vicente Calderón on 19 November 2016 thanks to a Ronaldo hat-trick (29, 71pen, 77). The match at the Santiago Bernabéu on 8 April finished 1-1, Griezmann earning the visitors a point with an 85th-minute equaliser after Pepe’s opener for Madrid (52).
Match background
Real Madrid
• Madrid are through to their seventh successive UEFA Champions League semi-final, a competition record. It will be their 12th semi-final appearance in total, also a record, one more than FC Barcelona.
• This is Madrid’s 28th European Cup semi-final overall, with the record W14 L13. They have won two of their last seven semi-final ties.
• The full breakdown of those 27 ties is:
1955/56 AC Milan W 5-4 (4-2 h, 1-2 a)
1956/57 Manchester United FC W 5-3(3-1 h, 2-2 a)
1957/58 Vasas SC W 4-2 (4-0 h, 0-2 a)
1958/59 Club Atlético de Madrid W 2-1 replay (2-1 h, 0-1 a)
1959/60 FC Barcelona W 6-2 (3-1 h, 3-1 a)
1961/62 R. Standard de Liège W 6-0 (4-0 h, 2-0 a)
1963/64 FC Zürich W 8-1 (2-1 a, 6-0 h)
1965/66 FC Internazionale Milano W 2-1 (1-0 h, 1-1 a)
1967/68 Manchester United FC L 3-4 (0-1 a, 3-3 h)
1972 73 AFC Ajax L 1-3 (1-2 a, 0-1 h)
1975/76 FC Bayern München L 1-3 (1-1 h, 0-2 a)
1979/80 Hamburger SV L 3-5 (2-0 h, 1-5 a)
1980/81 FC Internazionale Milano W 2-1 (2-0 h, 0-1 a)
1986/87 FC Bayern München L 2-4 (1-4 a, 1-0 h)
1987/88 PSV Eindhoven L 1-1 away goals (1-1 h, 0-0 a)
1988/89 AC Milan L 1-6 (1-1 h, 0-5 a)
1997/98 Borussia Dortmund W 2-0 (2-0 h, 0-0 a)
1999/00 FC Bayern München W 3-2 (2-0 h, 1-2 a)
2000/01 FC Bayern München L 1-3 (0-1 h, 1-2 a)
2001/02 FC Barcelona W 3-1 (2-0 a, 1-1 h)
2002/03 Juventus L 3-4 (2-1 h, 1-3 a)
2010/11 FC Barcelona L 1-3 (0-2 h, 1-1 a)
2011/12 FC Bayern München, L 1-3 on penalties (1-2 a, 2-1 h)
2012/13 Borussia Dortmund L 3-4 (1-4 a, 2-0 h)
2013/14 FC Bayern München W 5-0 (1-0 h, 4-0 a)
2014/15 Juventus L 2-3 (1-2 a, 1-1 h)
2015/16 Manchester City FC W 1-0 (0-0 a, 1-0 h)
• Madrid’s home record in European Cup semi-finals is W18 D6 L3. They are unbeaten in their last five home games in the semi-finals (W4 D1).
• Madrid have won only one of their last seven away matches in UEFA Champions League semi-finals (D2 L4). Overall, their away record in the last four is W5 D6 L16.
• Madrid are unbeaten in this season’s competition (W7 D3) and have won all four of their outings in the knockout stage.
• The 2-2 draw with Borussia Dortmund on matchday six is the sole occasion Madrid have failed to win in their last 11 European home fixtures. Madrid have won 30 of their last 35 UEFA Champions League home games, losing just once – 4-3 against FC Schalke 04 in the 2014/15 round of 16 second leg, when they still prevailed 5-3 on aggregate.
• Madrid’s record against Liga sides in Europe is W11 D6 L3 (W4 D2 L1 at home; W2 D3 L2 away). Their record in two-legged ties is W5 L2.
• This is the fifth time Real Madrid have faced a Spanish club in the European Cup semi-finals; aside from that success against Atlético in 1959, all their other previous meetings came against Barcelona. They won 6-2 on aggregate in 1959/60 (3-1 h, 3-1 a) and 3-1 in 2001/02 (2-0 a, 1-1 h) but lost 3-1 over two legs in 2010/11 (0-2 h, 1-1 a).
• Real Madrid are unbeaten in their last seven games against Spanish clubs in Europe, since that 2-0 home reverse to Barcelona in 2011.
Atlético
• This is Atlético’s sixth European Cup semi-final (W3 D2) and their third in four years.
• Atlético’s semi-final breakdown is:
1958/59 Real Madrid CF L 1-2 replay (1-2 a, 1-0 h)
1970/71 AFC Ajax L 1-3 (1-0 h, 0-3 a)
1973/74 Celtic FC W 2-0 (0-0 a, 2-0 h)
2013/14 Chelsea FC W 3-1 (0-0 h, 3-1 a)
2015/16 FC Bayern München W 2-2 away goals (1-0 h, 1-2 a)
• Atlético are unbeaten in the home legs of all five of their European Cup semi-finals (W4 D1). The sole draw came in the first leg of their 2013/14 tie against Chelsea, when they went on to win 3-1 away.
• That Chelsea victory is Atlético’s only away win in European Cup semi-finals; otherwise their record is D1 L3.
• The Rojiblancos have won ten and drawn six of their 22 UEFA Champions League away matches since September 2013. All six defeats came by a one-goal margin.
• The second leg will be the last ever European game at the Vicente Calderón.
• Atlético’s record against Spanish teams in UEFA competition is W8 D5 L7 (W1 D2 L5 away; W6 D2 L0 home). Their record in two-legged ties is W5 L3.
• Atlético’s only previous European semi-final against a fellow Spanish outfit came in the 2011/12 UEFA Europa League, when they beat Valencia 5-2 over two legs (4-2 h, 1-0 a).
Coach and player links
• Zinédine Zidane and Simeone crossed paths as players eight times during their careers when Zidane played for Juventus and Simeone represented FC Internazionale Milano and SS Lazio. Simeone’s record is W4 D2 L2, the Argentinian scoring the solitary goal in Lazio’s 1-0 Serie A victory at Juve on 1 April 2000 and also getting the winner in Lazio’s 2-1 second-leg success in the Coppa Italia quarter-finals the same season.
• Simeone’s record against Madrid in all competitions as a player for Sevilla FC, Atlético and Lazio was W1 D2 L8. He scored once, in Atlético’s 4-2 defeat on 5 November 1994.
• The Argentinian enjoys a much better record as a coach, having lost only two of his last 13 meetings with Madrid, with last season’s UEFA Champions League final counted as a draw. Overall it is W7 D7 L8.
• Zidane never lost to Atlético during his playing days with Madrid, winning six and drawing two out of eight encounters.
• Juanfran came through Real Madrid’s academy, making six appearances for the first team in 2003/04 and 2004/05.
• Isco, Nacho, Dani Carvajal and Koke were part of Spain’s victorious 2013 UEFA European Under-21 Championship squad.
• International team-mates:
Marcelo, Danilo, Casemiro and Filipe Luís (Brazil);
Ronaldo, Pepe and Tiago (Portugal);
Raphaël Varane, Karim Benzema and Antoine Griezmann (France);
Juanfran, Saúl Ñíguez, Koke and Isco, Dani Carvajal, Ramos, Casilla, Álvaro Morata, Marco Asensio, Lucas Vázquez (Spain);
Šime Vrsaljko and Luka Modrić, Mateo Kovačić (Croatia);
Saúl Ñíguez and Marco Asensio (Spain U-21)
• Former club-mates:
Karim Benzema and Tiago (Olympique Lyonnais, 2005–2007);
Óliver Torres, Casemiro and Danilo (FC Porto (2014–15)
James Rodríguez and Yannick Carrasco (AS Monaco FC, 2013–14);
Fábio Coentrão and Nicolás Gaitán (SL Benfica, 2010-11)
• Ronaldo has netted 18 goals in 27 games against Atlético, hitting a hat-trick in a 4-1 Liga triumph on 11 April 2012 and in this season’s Liga but being sent off after scoring in Madrid’s 2-1 Copa del Rey final loss in 2012/13.
• Ramos has twice been dismissed against Atlético – in a 1-1 Liga draw on 1 October 2006 and during Madrid’s 3-2 top-flight victory in November 2009.
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