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Luckiest Champions League finalists ever? Madrid have virtually had a bye to Milan

Los Blancos have faced Roma, Wolfsburg and Manchester City in the knockout rounds en route to Saturday's showpiece, having met no champions and none of Europe's elite clubs either 
If Real Madrid win the Champions League, nobody can say they didn't deserve it. However, Zinedine Zidane's side sit just 90 minutes from the trophy having faced Roma, Wolfsburg and Manchester City en route to the final - probably the most accessible route to the final fixture.

After winning a group that featured Paris Saint-Germain, Shakhtar Donetsk and Malmo with Rafa Benitez in charge, Madrid changed coach in January and under Zidane, the 10-time champions have made it all the way to Milan.

First up for Madrid in the knockout rounds was Roma, a side that had scraped through with six points in the group stages and shipped six against Barca at Camp Nou. In Zidane's first Champions League match as coach, Real recorded a 2-0 win at the Stadio Olimpico before coming through by the same scoreline - and following a few scares - at the Bernabeu in the second match.

Then there was Wolfsburg and a disastrous defeat in Germany. Madrid lost 2-0 in the first leg and needed an inspired performance in the return from Cristiano Ronaldo, who hit a hat-track to send Los Blancos to the last four. That was impressive, but it shouldn't have come to that - Wolfsburg were eighth in the Bundesliga at the time and the weakest team left in the competition.


And in the semi-final draw, there were three possible rivals: Bayern Munich, Atletico and Manchester City. Again, Madrid found themselves in luck as they were paired with the Premier League side, struggling since the announcement that Pep Guardiola will take over in the summer and in the last four of Europe's premier club competition for the first time in their history.

Facing Atletico in the final will be anything but easy, of course. Diego Simeone's side have lost just once in the last 10 games to Los Blancos and in some ways, they are favourites in Saturday's showpiece in Milan.

However, if there is one competition in which Madrid have had the measure of their local rivals, it is the Champions League. Los Blancos are a different beast in the Champions League and beat Atletico in the final in 2013-14, as well as in the quarter-finals last season.

But while Atletico have knocked out Barcelona and Bayern Munich in the competition, Madrid have had much more luck on their path to San Siro. 


"Easy draws? I don't agree," Zidane said recently. "Not at all. To advance in the Champions League, you have to play against everyone. Roma, Wolfsburg and Manchester City are three strong teams."

That they are, but they are not Barca, Bayern or Atletico - all of which Madrid avoided in the knockout rounds until the meeting with Simeone's side in the final on Saturday.

Not only have Madrid not faced any national champions in the knockout rounds (after meeting PSG in the group stages), but they have also avoided all previous winners of the Champions League and face one never to have claimed the title in the final too.

The continental competition, of course, will make or break Madrid's season because Barcelona won both La Liga and the Copa del Rey and coach Luis Enrique said last month: "In the Champions League, you depend on specific moments - on the draw, on having luck in the ties... and one bad game and you can be out." 







Madrid did have a bad game, but luckily that came against Wolfsburg and to their credit they were able to turn it around and make the semi-finals where they were too strong for City.

Nevertheless, Los Blancos can count themselves fortunate. Their route to the final has been no cakewalk, but it it the most accessible passage to a Champions League final in recent memory.

If they win their 11th trophy on Saturday, it will be deserved. After all, any champion needs some luck along the way - and Madrid have had plenty already.

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