Barcelona: With a return to England looking likely, Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho can go out a winner when his team plays crosstown rivals Atletico Madrid on Friday in the Copa del Rey final. Luckily for Mourinho and Madrid, Atletico have been incapable of winning a Spanish capital derby so far this millennium.
Atletico's last victory over their city rivals came 14 years ago, in 1999. Since then, Madrid have won 19 times with Atletico managing only six draws. Madrid can also count on the goal-scoring prowess of Cristiano Ronaldo, who will go head-to-head with Atletico striker Radamel Falcao.
Ronaldo headed home Madrid's winner in the 2011 final against Barcelona. Falcao, meanwhile, has a knack of rising to the occasion, scoring to win two Europa League finals for Atletico last year and for FC Porto in 2011.
"It's a trophy that we are very excited to win," Ronaldo said of the Copa del Rey. "We know it will be a hard-fought match against a rival of the same city and it will be quite a show for the fans. I go into the match with a sense of great responsibility. I face all games the same way, but this is a final. It's a special match, but my ambition is always the same, to help Real Madrid the best way I know how, by playing well, scoring goals, and setting up my team-mates."
Ronaldo's buoyant mood contrasts completely with the stink Mourinho has made of things lately. In his third season at Madrid, Mourinho has turned his ire away from opposing coaches and referees and onto his very own players. He started with benching Spain goalkeeper and captain Iker Casillas, and most recently mocked one of his physical on-the-field enforcers in Pepe after he broke ranks and supported Casillas.
This belittling of his own players together with Madrid's loss of the Spanish league title to Barcelona and their failure to win an elusive 10th European Cup would probably have been enough to get a coach of lesser standing fired. But Mourinho has gone one step further and insisted that he is not "loved" in Spain like he is in the Premier League, saying he will discuss his future with Madrid president Florentino Perez when the season finishes in early June.
Neither Mourinho nor his assistant Aitor Karanka appeared in the scheduled press conference on Thursday. Defender Sergio Ramos spoke instead. "If I am here, it's for a reason, to answer questions just the same way as the coach would," Ramos said. "We are here to talk about the Copa final and not about the future or controversies."
Given his recent run-ins with the club, Mourinho should expect a noisy reception from the home fans at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, where he has been jeered in recent matches. Nevertheless, Mourinho could lift the Copa del Rey trophy as a consolation prize. If not, this season will be considered a complete flop for a club that boasts one of the most expensive squads in the world.
Atletico have a unique opportunity to wipe away years of misery by finally beating Madrid with a title at stake. To do so, the Atletico players will have to find a way to shake off the psychological advantage Madrid has over them.
In their most recent meeting on April 27, Madrid came from behind to win 2-1 even without Ronaldo's help. "Most people are picking Real Madrid as favourite because of its budget, for the players it has, but that doesn't bother us," Falcao said. "We will rely on the faith we have in ourselves."
Neither side will play in the league over the weekend after playing last week to make room for the final.
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