Tomorrow night is the UEFA Champions League Final, which can easily be described as Europe’s equivalent of the Super Bowl. Even though there is a FIFA Club World Cup held every December, the appeal of the UCL Final has spread all around the globe. The U.S. has not been the exception, as for the fifth straight year Americans can view the Final on the free-to-air channel Fox. Here’s a preview of the teams fighting to be European champions.

Real Madrid C.F.

Los Blancos qualified for the Final by finishing 1st in their group, then defeated a trio of German teams (Schalke, Borussia Dortmund, and Bayern Munich) in the knockout rounds. Real have won 9 European Cups, most recently in 2002, but this is their first Final since Zinédine Zidane’s spectacular strike that night in Glasgow. The last three seasons, RM had gone out in the semifinals (to Barcelona, Bayern, and Dortmund respectively). Cristiano Ronaldo is the leading scorer for the second straight year, and has already won with Manchester United in 2008. Carlo Ancelotti has a chance for silverware in his first season in Spain, having won multiple Cups as both a player and manager with AC Milan. Overall, Real Madrid is 9-3 in European Cup/Champions League Finals.

Club Atlético de Madrid

El Atleti also qualified for the knockout stage as group winners, before advancing past AC Milan, Barcelona, and Chelsea. This is only their second Final, having lost to Bayern Munich in a replay 40 years ago. Their roster this year includes David Villa, who won the Cup in 2011 with Barcelona, and Diego Costa, the squad’s leading scorer with 8 goals. Despite their lack of success in the Champions League, current manager Diego Simeone has guided the club to four different trophies since taking over in 2011, including the Spanish domestic league earlier this month. Atlético’s desire to win a first European Cup, plus the chance to do so against their fierce city rivals, will only add to the drama tomorrow night.

Additional Notes

This is the second all-Spanish UCL Final in the modern era; Real Madrid defeated Valencia in 2000…..tomorrow’s Final is at the Estádio da Luz in Lisbon, Portugal, which also hosted the UEFA Euro 2004 Final; Lisbon previously hosted the 1967 European Cup Final…..Björn Kuipers is the fourth different Dutchman to officiate a European Cup/Champions League Final, the first since Dick Jol in 2001