Bale Calls For Calm; Ancelotti Says Real Will Attack

The biggest stage in European Football is set 48 hours from now, and we'll be doing our best to congregate all relevant news and notes leading up to the final through our story stream.

Required due diligence before we get to some Bale and Ancelotti quotes

• The crew did a roundtable discussion about Saturday's clash in Milan
• I did a Q&A with the enemy
• Om broke down a beautiful tactical plan to beat Atleti
• Cristiano Ronaldo is just fine
• Podcast #1: I answered Tweets from fans
• Podcast #2: Gabe, Mike, and Om did a tactical preview of the UCL Final
• Gareth Bale doesn't think any Atleti player would crack our starting XI

"The key factor [is] to keep your emotions in [check]," he said.

"If you let your emotions run away with you it can really damage you and your game. It's important to focus on the football."

Atleti president Cerezo on Saturday's bloodbath pic.twitter.com/x4kDUGZ6x7

— Managing Madrid (@managingmadrid) May 25, 2016

More Bale quotes

"I'm not sure if they're stronger or not [than in the 2013-14 final] but what we know is they're a very good team and they're very well organised," he said.

"We know the final is going to be a very difficult game but we'll be preparing well."

On Real Madrid's path this season

"It's been an up-and-down season but we can take a lot of positives from it ... the most important thing is the team gets the victory and we lift the Champions League trophy," he said.

"It's great to be in another final. Everyone's worked very hard to get there and we're excited to have the opportunity to have the chance to lift the trophy again. Hopefully we can take the opportunity and win the game."

Carlo Ancelotti also chimed in with some comments regarding the Final in an interview with Omnisport, although none of his comments were particularly earth-shattering.

"Not much has changed since [the 2014 final]," he told Omnisport.

"Real Madrid still keep the same ideas, as do Atletico Madrid. Only the Real Madrid manager has changed. Two years ago it was me, now it is Zidane.

"It will be more or less the same game. Very intense, with Atletico defending and Real attacking."

Carlo points to a truth - that Atletico will deploy a defensive-heavy scheme, and Real Madrid will have the ball - swinging it around while systematically working to carve an opening. Again, not revolutionary ideas, but it does resonate better than what Diego Simeone said a few days ago.

So, Simeone says Real Madrid will play on the counter attack. pic.twitter.com/jsDryUzb71

— Kiyan Sobhani (@KiyanSo) May 21, 2016

UPDATE: Ronaldo says Champions League title would be more important than Barcelona's double.

Ronaldo. pic.twitter.com/sqg1nJS5NP

— Managing Madrid (@managingmadrid) May 26, 2016

Important things to know as a Managing Madrid reader...

• We will have a liveblog running on the website during Saturday's match
• I will be running a live FB video at half-time on our Facebook page
• We're recording one last pre-game podcast which should be published by tomorrow. Send us questions through Twitter, please.

We are doing one last pre game podcast tomorrow. Send us your UCL Final questions!

— Managing Madrid (@managingmadrid) May 25, 2016