After painful defeats in recent continental finals, Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid is determined to justify its status as favourites in Wednesday’s Europa League showpiece against Marseille. Spearheaded by Antoine Griezmann, Atletico has now closed in on glory in Europe’s less prestigious competition.
Atletico is looking to win the Europa League for the third time in nine seasons, after triumphing in 2010 and again in 2012, shortly after ‘Cholo’ Simeone was appointed coach. .
It would be a first, and possibly last major medal as an Atletico player for Griezmann, who was raised not far from Lyon but has spent his whole career in Spain.
Griezmann and Diego Costa will lead Simeone’s attack as Atletico returns to Lyon, where it lost 3-0 to Dynamo Kiev in the final of the now defunct Cup Winners’ Cup in 1986.
