MILAN – Captain Sergio Ramos believes Real Madrid are as hungry to beat Atletico Madrid in Saturday’s Champions League final as they were two years ago when they beat their neighbours to land a 10th European Cup.
It was Ramos who headed an injury-time equaliser to send the 2014 final into extra-time where Real overpowered a flattened Atletico 4-1 to end a 12-year wait for ‘La Decima’.
The defender said that night in Lisbon had done nothing to sate Real’s determination.
“If I was to write a film I would have scripted it like that but now we have to focus on this one and we have the same hunger, hope and excitement as we did before,” Ramos told a news conference on Friday.
“I wouldn’t change anything about the last final, destiny has been written and what has to happen tomorrow [today] will happen.”
Atletico were caught out at the death in Lisbon and Ramos urged total concentration for his side on Saturday, warning that Diego Simeone’s outfit will be waiting to pounce on any momentary lapse from Real.
“Atletico are a team that will punish you in the one second you switch off, be it from a set piece or open play, so you have to have all your senses plugged in,” he added.
Simeone’s men are one of just two teams coach Zinedine Zidane has lost to since succeeding Rafael Benitez in January, the other being VfL Wolfsburg in the Champions League quarter-final first leg.
Zidane responded to that reverse by redeploying Brazilian Casemiro in defensive midfield, leading to a run of 12 straight league victories and the surge to a second final in three years.
“We are a bit better in every sense and, although that doesn’t mean anything in a final, we have done a huge amount of work,” Zidane said.
“I believe a lot in the work and what the players did to get here, it was phenomenal. We can’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow [today], all we know is we’re prepared.”
Asked how his side would cope with Atletico’s intense style, Zidane added: “We’re going to run, run and run.” (Reuters)
