Champions League final: Real Madrid v Atlético Madrid – live!

• Ronaldo, Bale and co chasing Real's historic tenth win
• Simeone can seal famous La Liga and European double

7.37pm BST

The players have been out on the pitch warming up. In lieu of anything interesting happening, here's pictorial proof ...

Real ...

... and Atlético

Everyone looks happy enough, which is nice. Let's see how long that lasts once the first reducer goes in.

7.29pm BST

Never mind Real Madrid's tenth European Cup win; Carlo Ancelotti's on the verge of something special tonight, too. The former Milan boss could join an elite group of managers who have won the trophy with two clubs: Ottmar Hitzfeld (Dortmund and Bayern), Ernst Happel (Feyenoord and Hamburg), Jose Mourinho (Porto and Internazionale), and Jupp Heynckes (Real Madrid and Bayern). Not only that, he'd become only the second boss in history to win the trophy three times, after Sir Bob Paisley of Liverpool. Diego Simeone will be happy enough with his first, I should imagine.

7.23pm BST

Much better to concentrate on the positives, isn't it. And it's about time a player scored a hat-trick in one of these here finals. How about it, someone, huh? Nobody's managed one in the Champions League era, with only Daniele Massaro (Milan 1994), Karlheinz Riedle (Borussia Dortmund 1997), Hernan Crespo (Milan 2005), Pippo Inzaghi (Milan 2007) and Diego Milito (Internazionale 2010) coming close. Pierino Prati of Milan was the last man to hit a hat-trick in European Cup days, for Milan back in 1969. Real Madrid's Alfredo di Stefano managed one in 1960 at Hampden, too, but he was upstaged by his team-mate Ferenc Puskas, who scored four against Eintracht Frankfurt at Hampden. Mind you, everything in context, and all that. Here's Eintracht keeper Egon Loy in action that night ...

Ball (l), the spectacular Egon Loy (r)

7.16pm BST

Diego Costa, Pepe, Sergio Ramos ... anyway, for the record, there have only ever been two sendings off in European Cup or Champions League finals. Predictably, seeing English pundits have spent the last 59 years of European competition whining about cheating foreign sides, both of the teams who found themselves down to ten men were from Blighty. Haw. The guilty men: Arsenal's Jens Lehmann in 2006, and Chelsea's Didier Drogba a couple of years later. Behave, everyone, now.

6.56pm BST

So Diego Costa has made it after all. Whether his hamstring is up to it or not, only the first 23 minutes will tell. Will he add to his 35-goal haul this season, or is he fated to be the Harry Kewell de nos jours? No such luck for his team-mate Arda Turan, who doesn't even make the bench. As for Real, both of their main injury worries have made the teamsheet: Karim Benzema is in the starting XI, while Pepe is on the bench. Perhaps if Costa is forced to go off early, he and Pepe can enjoy a donnybrook there.

6.48pm BST

Dramatis personæ

Real Madrid: Casillas, Carvajal, Varane, Sergio Ramos, Fabio Coentrao, Modric, Khedira, Di Maria, Bale, Benzema, Ronaldo.
Subs: Diego Lopez, Pepe, Marcelo, Arbeloa, Morata, Isco, Illarramendi.

Atlético Madrid: Courtois, Juanfran, Miranda, Godin, Filipe Luis, Raul Garcia, Gabi, Tiago, Koke, Villa, Diego Costa.
Subs: Aranzubia, Mario Suarez, Adrian, Rodriguez, Alderweireld, Diego, Sosa.

Referee: Bjorn Kuipers (Holland)

6.17pm BST

These two teams have only met once before in the European Cup or Champions League. That was in 1959 at the semi-final stage, and the tie proved a tight one. Real won the first leg 2-1 at the Bernabeu, though they had to come from behind, Chuzo opening the scoring on 13 minutes, Héctor Rial levelling it up two minutes later, and Ferenc Puskás putting away a penalty on 33 minutes to seal the win. Atlético won the second leg at the Estadio Metropolitano thanks to Enrique Collar's 43rd-minute goal. That meant a replay at La Romareda in Zaragoza, with Real prevailing 2-1, Alfredo di Stefano opening the scoring, Collar equalising, and Puskas restoring his side's lead before the break. Four successive finals for Real, that made it.

No joy for Atlético in the domestic head-to-head either, with Real winning 102 league and cup games to Atlético's 46. And this season, while Atlético enjoyed the better of it in La Liga with a win at the Bernabeu and a draw at the Vicente Calderón, Real won a two-legged Copa del Rey tie 5-0 on aggregate. Po' Atlético! Po Atlético's a-cold!

Having said all that: it's Atlético who are used to winning stuff right now. Not only do they have this year's Spanish league in the bag, they're also confident on the continent, having won the Europa League in 2010 and 2012.

Of course, the most relevant information will come with this evening's team sheets. Diego Costa has been rolling around in vats of horse placenta all week, while mainlining horse placenta smoothies, in the hope of repairing a hamstring tear. Atlético are also sweating on the state of Arda Turan's pelvis. Real, meanwhile, already without the idiotically suspended Xabi Alonso, are concerned about the fitness of Pepe and Karim Benzema. Much may depend on all this. Or maybe nothing will. To be honest, we're just filling in time with inane waffle, it's what you have to do on the internet these days it seems.

Anyway, the most important news is that Atlético, nominally the away side tonight, have been given special dispensation to wear their famous first-choice red-and-white shirts and blue shorts.Well, well, a good decision by Uefa. Atlético's shirts will sport a subtle reference to Luis Aragonés, who died in February and would have won the 1974 final for Atlético had Schwarzenbeck not did his thing. Real will, of course, be in their renowned all-white clobber. A classic look for all: it's a good start for our hopes of a classic final.

Aesthetically pleasing: Gareth Bale with Filipe Luis in hot pursuit

6.00pm BST

Forty-seven long years ago, give or take a day, arguably the most romantic European Cup final of all took place at the Estádio Nacional in Lisbon.  

Jock Stein's up-and-coming Celtic fell a goal behind early doors to Helenio Herrera's all-conquering Internazionale, but then proceeded to take the game to the Italian champions with reckless, glorious abandon. They ended up thrashing Inter 2-1. A joyous pitch invasion took place. Several players found themselves stripped to their kex and socks. The presentation was held up for several minutes, forcing Uefa apparatchiks to nudge Celtic captain Billy 'Cesar' McNeill towards the podium in a car, a nice touch considering his monicker. (As one of the few Celtic players at the time to own his own vehicle, McNeill naturally found himself named after actor Cesar Romero, the getaway driver in the popular movie caper Ocean's 11.)

Cesar plus military types (who always add a certain old-school glamour to a major trophy presentation, in my book, but that's a discussion for another day)

The cavaliers had seen off the roundheads. Herrera's joyless reign of catenaccio was over. Stein had become, in the words of Bill Shankly, "immortal". The trophy had finally been wrested from Latin Europe, Britain had its first European champions, and they'd all come from within a stone's throw of Parkhead to boot. There were some pretty trees in the background.

Cesar leads the lads out

Times change, and there'll be nothing quite like all that innocent gallivanting this evening, as Lisbon (this time at Benfica's shiny new Estádio da Luz) hosts the biggest match in European club football for the second time. But that's not to say another stone-cold classic is beyond the realms! For tonight sees the first final in the 59-year history of the European Cup to be contested by rivals from the same city! Real Madrid have made their first final in 12 years, and they're looking for a record tenth win in the competition. (Let's not call it La Décima, we're not Sid Lowe, we don't live in Madrid, we just sound preposterous borrowing that patter.) Atlético Madrid are in their second final, and their first for 40 years, having come within one minute and 35 yards of the trophy in 1974, denied by a ludicrous late potshot by Bayern Munich's Hans-Georg Schwarzenbeck, then thrashed 4-0 in the only final replay in the competition's history. (Have a wee look-see at this Gerd Muller masterclass.) Both want this real bad, then, for obvious but very different reasons. And both have the wherewithal to seize the prize: Atlético have just won the Spanish league; Real have the upper hand in the head-to-heads this year. This could go either way. This could be a match to savour, and to remember. This is ON!

Kick off: 7.45pm local time, 7.45pm in the Guardian's Britain.

• Scott Murray
• 
  
• theguardian.com, Saturday 24 May 2014 19.29 BST

Any tingles down the spine yet? Yes, us too.

7.29pm BST

Never mind Real Madrid's tenth European Cup win; Carlo Ancelotti's on the verge of something special tonight, too. The former Milan boss could join an elite group of managers who have won the trophy with two clubs: Ottmar Hitzfeld (Dortmund and Bayern), Ernst Happel (Feyenoord and Hamburg), Jose Mourinho (Porto and Internazionale), and Jupp Heynckes (Real Madrid and Bayern). Not only that, he'd become only the second boss in history to win the trophy three times, after Sir Bob Paisley of Liverpool. Diego Simeone will be happy enough with his first, I should imagine.

7.23pm BST

Much better to concentrate on the positives, isn't it. And it's about time a player scored a hat-trick in one of these here finals. How about it, someone, huh? Nobody's managed one in the Champions League era, with only Daniele Massaro (Milan 1994), Karlheinz Riedle (Borussia Dortmund 1997), Hernan Crespo (Milan 2005), Pippo Inzaghi (Milan 2007) and Diego Milito (Internazionale 2010) coming close. Pierino Prati of Milan was the last man to hit a hat-trick in European Cup days, for Milan back in 1969. Real Madrid's Alfredo di Stefano managed one in 1960 at Hampden, too, but he was upstaged by his team-mate Ferenc Puskas, who scored four against Eintracht Frankfurt at Hampden. Mind you, everything in context, and all that. Here's Eintracht keeper Egon Loy in action that night ...

Ball (l), the spectacular Egon Loy (r)

7.16pm BST

Diego Costa, Pepe, Sergio Ramos ... anyway, for the record, there have only ever been two sendings off in European Cup or Champions League finals. Predictably, seeing English pundits have spent the last 59 years of European competition whining about cheating foreign sides, both of the teams who found themselves down to ten men were from Blighty. Haw. The guilty men: Arsenal's Jens Lehmann in 2006, and Chelsea's Didier Drogba a couple of years later. Behave, everyone, now.

6.56pm BST

So Diego Costa has made it after all. Whether his hamstring is up to it or not, only the first 23 minutes will tell. Will he add to his 35-goal haul this season, or is he fated to be the Harry Kewell de nos jours? No such luck for his team-mate Arda Turan, who doesn't even make the bench. As for Real, both of their main injury worries have made the teamsheet: Karim Benzema is in the starting XI, while Pepe is on the bench. Perhaps if Costa is forced to go off early, he and Pepe can enjoy a donnybrook there.

6.48pm BST

Dramatis personæ

Real Madrid: Casillas, Carvajal, Varane, Sergio Ramos, Fabio Coentrao, Modric, Khedira, Di Maria, Bale, Benzema, Ronaldo.
Subs: Diego Lopez, Pepe, Marcelo, Arbeloa, Morata, Isco, Illarramendi.

Atlético Madrid: Courtois, Juanfran, Miranda, Godin, Filipe Luis, Raul Garcia, Gabi, Tiago, Koke, Villa, Diego Costa.
Subs: Aranzubia, Mario Suarez, Adrian, Rodriguez, Alderweireld, Diego, Sosa.

Referee: Bjorn Kuipers (Holland)

6.17pm BST

These two teams have only met once before in the European Cup or Champions League. That was in 1959 at the semi-final stage, and the tie proved a tight one. Real won the first leg 2-1 at the Bernabeu, though they had to come from behind, Chuzo opening the scoring on 13 minutes, Héctor Rial levelling it up two minutes later, and Ferenc Puskás putting away a penalty on 33 minutes to seal the win. Atlético won the second leg at the Estadio Metropolitano thanks to Enrique Collar's 43rd-minute goal. That meant a replay at La Romareda in Zaragoza, with Real prevailing 2-1, Alfredo di Stefano opening the scoring, Collar equalising, and Puskas restoring his side's lead before the break. Four successive finals for Real, that made it.

No joy for Atlético in the domestic head-to-head either, with Real winning 102 league and cup games to Atlético's 46. And this season, while Atlético enjoyed the better of it in La Liga with a win at the Bernabeu and a draw at the Vicente Calderón, Real won a two-legged Copa del Rey tie 5-0 on aggregate. Po' Atlético! Po Atlético's a-cold!

Having said all that: it's Atlético who are used to winning stuff right now. Not only do they have this year's Spanish league in the bag, they're also confident on the continent, having won the Europa League in 2010 and 2012.

Of course, the most relevant information will come with this evening's team sheets. Diego Costa has been rolling around in vats of horse placenta all week, while mainlining horse placenta smoothies, in the hope of repairing a hamstring tear. Atlético are also sweating on the state of Arda Turan's pelvis. Real, meanwhile, already without the idiotically suspended Xabi Alonso, are concerned about the fitness of Pepe and Karim Benzema. Much may depend on all this. Or maybe nothing will. To be honest, we're just filling in time with inane waffle, it's what you have to do on the internet these days it seems.

Anyway, the most important news is that Atlético, nominally the away side tonight, have been given special dispensation to wear their famous first-choice red-and-white shirts and blue shorts.Well, well, a good decision by Uefa. Atlético's shirts will sport a subtle reference to Luis Aragonés, who died in February and would have won the 1974 final for Atlético had Schwarzenbeck not did his thing. Real will, of course, be in their renowned all-white clobber. A classic look for all: it's a good start for our hopes of a classic final.

Aesthetically pleasing: Gareth Bale with Filipe Luis in hot pursuit

6.00pm BS

Forty-seven long years ago, give or take a day, arguably the most romantic European Cup final of all took place at the Estádio Nacional in Lisbon. Jock Stein's up-and-coming Celtic fell a goal behind early doors to Helenio Herrera's all-conquering Internazionale, but then proceeded to take the game to the Italian champions with reckless, glorious abandon. They ended up thrashing Inter 2-1. A joyous pitch invasion took place. Several players found themselves stripped to their kex and socks. The presentation was held up for several minutes, forcing Uefa apparatchiks to nudge Celtic captain Billy 'Cesar' McNeill towards the podium in a car, a nice touch considering his monicker. (As one of the few Celtic players at the time to own his own vehicle, McNeill naturally found himself named after actor Cesar Romero, the getaway driver in the popular movie caper Ocean's 11.)

Cesar plus military types (who always add a certain old-school glamour to a major trophy presentation, in my book, but that's a discussion for another day)

The cavaliers had seen off the roundheads. Herrera's joyless reign of catenaccio was over. Stein had become, in the words of Bill Shankly, "immortal". The trophy had finally been wrested from Latin Europe, Britain had its first European champions, and they'd all come from within a stone's throw of Parkhead to boot. There were some pretty trees in the background.

Cesar leads the lads out

Times change, and there'll be nothing quite like all that innocent gallivanting this evening, as Lisbon (this time at Benfica's shiny new Estádio da Luz) hosts the biggest match in European club football for the second time. But that's not to say another stone-cold classic is beyond the realms! For tonight sees the first final in the 59-year history of the European Cup to be contested by rivals from the same city! Real Madrid have made their first final in 12 years, and they're looking for a record tenth win in the competition. (Let's not call it La Décima, we're not Sid Lowe, we don't live in Madrid, we just sound preposterous borrowing that patter.) Atlético Madrid are in their second final, and their first for 40 years, having come within one minute and 35 yards of the trophy in 1974, denied by a ludicrous late potshot by Bayern Munich's Hans-Georg Schwarzenbeck, then thrashed 4-0 in the only final replay in the competition's history. (Have a wee look-see at this Gerd Muller masterclass.) Both want this real bad, then, for obvious but very different reasons. And both have the wherewithal to seize the prize: Atlético have just won the Spanish league; Real have the upper hand in the head-to-heads this year. This could go either way. This could be a match to savour, and to remember. This is ON!

Kick off: 7.45pm local time, 7.45pm in the Guardian's Britain.

Culled From Eoresports

Champions League final: Real Madrid v Atlético Madrid – live!