Real Madrid defender claims that Atletico Madrid will be favourites on Saturday
Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo attends training session yesterday. Inset: Sergio Ramos. Pic/Getty Images
Madrid: Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos claims his side are underdogs for this weekend's Champions League final against Atletico Madrid following the Rojiblancos' Primera Division success.
Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo attends training session yesterday. Inset: Sergio Ramos. Pic/Getty Images
Real head into the match having won the European Cup a record nine times in their history and been runners-up on a further three occasions, whereas the only time Atletico have previously got this far was in 1974 when they lost to Bayern Munich.
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Real's domination
Real have also dominated the head-to-head record between the clubs in recent times, and were unbeaten against their arch-rivals for 13 years up until last season's Copa del Rey final, which Atletico won 2-1.
Atletico followed that up with a 1-0 league win at the Bernabeu in September, but since that match Real have won two of three meetings between the two while drawing the other.
However, despite those records, Ramos believes it is Atletico who are favourites to lift the title in Lisbon this weekend after they pipped Barcelona and Real to the Primera Divison — their first since 1996.
"We are up against a great team in Atletico Madrid who, from my point of view, are the favourites," the Spain international said yesterday.
"They are the deserved current league champions and deserve credit for reaching the Champions League final.
"But that doesn't mean they are going to be the champions of the Champions League."
Real may have won the competition a record amount of times but they have not been crowned champions since 2002 — something they are desperate to change this weekend.
Ramos added: "The final is for the fans. It's a competition which after so many years really excites both us and the fans.
"It's going to be a very hard-fought final. We're expecting a very physical match which will be won by whoever commits the fewest mistakes."
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