Before the final, the Torino club issued a gag order to all coaches and players not to be interviewed by the media without permission, in order to avoid being disturbed by all kinds of information from the outside world.

But the situation on the Madrid side is completely different, similar to Juventus before the Coppa Italia final, and for several days there has been a lot of news about Atletico Madrid's members. It was clear from their words that the Spanish team was confident of winning this game.

Atletico Madrid midfielder Koke replied to a reporter's question about his outlook for the Europa League final after the league game against Getafe: "I'm looking forward to Thursday night's showdown, especially with the trophy hunger beyond the reach of the need, we have lost our previous two European finals, everyone is full of energy, and this time the result is bound to be different. ”

Captain Gabi said in an interview with the Spanish media "Radio Corbe" that he hopes to meet the rival Real Madrid in next season's UEFA Super Cup, and wishes the Galaxy Battleship good luck and spell Liverpool next weekend, so as to realize his plan. The comments revealed that the veteran Spanish midfielder is deeply confident in his victory over the Red Bulls, and he has no doubt that his team will miss the contract.

Atletico Madrid president Cerezo even openly declared before the game that the image of Torres lifting the trophy would be the most perfect scene. He said: "With the new stadium, the league beating Real Madrid and reaching the final of the Europa League, it's been a fantastic season. Atletico is Atletico because we understand what it means to win without being discouraged from defeat, which is very important. ”

"The results are a great result thanks to the coaches and the players, and everyone has done a great job, but I would like to give a high level of praise to Fernando Torres. He is the spiritual leader of the team and a key figure in leading the team to unwavering success. Normally, it's the captain, Gabi, who lifts the trophy, but I'll talk to him. If we can win the title, hopefully we can get Torres to raise a glass, which is something that everyone will be happy to see because it will make the most sense for the whole club. ”

In addition, reports in the Spanish media about Oblak's contract extension, Griezmann's transfer to Barcelona, and Torres's post-season planning have also been in full swing, and most people do not think that the outcome of this game will be much suspense.

By looking at the various details reflected on the FM system, Li Mudi found that Atletico Madrid was different from Juventus before him, who deliberately took a dismissive attitude, but in fact took the Torino team very seriously. The Sheets really don't think the champions will fall out of the way to a certain extent, and although the players are still fully committed to training, at least mentally, they don't think the champions will have a chance to escape from their palms.

However, this can't blame Atletico Madrid for being too arrogant, and in the comparison between the two sides in the final, there is a big gap in terms of the level of the stars, the overall strength and the experience of European competition. The odds given by the bookmaker (Atletico win 1.71, draw 3.47, minus 5.11) also fully show that not many people are optimistic that Li Mudi's team will make much difference, and this is the state of Atletico Madrid's players. It's like when the Spanish team faces the Japanese team, no matter how much they emphasize the need to be nervous, their mentality will involuntarily relax a little.

Even the usually calm Diego Simeone was inevitably "arrogant" in his pre-match press conference, and although he thought that everything would be inconclusive until the match was over, his confidence in the victory was evident in his answers to reporters' questions.

"The two teams are full of similarities, they both have a strong whole, their style is based on hard work and hard work, and their tactical style is good at switching between attack and defence, so whether it is from the perspective of the passion of the team or the way of playing, it will be a very exciting and beautiful final."

"In the previous two games against Arsenal, I was almost unable to stand on the sidelines, but Boggs [Atletico Madrid's assistant coach and former Argentine national team goalkeeper] took my place and did the job perfectly. While it's true that I can't be on the pitch to direct the game, I don't worry too much about the trust I have in Boggs, the two of us are lifelong friends and have the same way we understand football and how we perceive the game. In the semi-finals, as you can see, even without me, the team played really well, so it didn't affect our performance in the final. ”

"Although the two sides have not played each other before, in today's highly technologically advanced world, I don't think there are many secrets that the two teams can hide from each other, so I don't think there will be too many variables. As for the experience that you mentioned in the media, it was a very important parameter, but it was not a key factor that could directly affect the game. The Torino players are very young, but also more dynamic, and once they play their rhythm, we are in big trouble, so Atletico's strategy is to take control of the situation and bring the game into a situation where we can do damage. ”

"Mr. Li Mudi is a very, very good manager, we have been in contact with Spain and he has led Real Madrid's youth team to a number of victories against my boys, and he showed his potential to be a great coach at that time. It's great that he's been able to achieve such great results in Italy and hopefully there will be more encounters in the future. ”

"The final is a blood-pumping stage, and there is only one credo here, which is to live or die, and see the real chapter on the green field. So the most important thing is the game itself, and the rest is left to the referees, and hopefully they won't disappoint everyone again. ”

In fact, not only Atletico Madrid, but even the vast majority of neutrals have stated that the suspense of the game is not too big. Commentators and commentators from broadcast agencies in the United Kingdom, Germany, France and other countries have given their own predictions before the game, not surprisingly, the proportion of Spanish teams that will solve the battle within 90 minutes accounts for more than 70%, and counting extra time and penalty shootouts, the sum of the optimistic Torino team can win is less than 15%, which inevitably contains some sympathy votes, or deliberately created gimmicks.

Even the two directors Zhan Jun and Zhang Lu on the side of the Celestial Empire kept silent about the outcome of the game, and were always analyzing the advantages and disadvantages of Atletico Madrid and giving advice to their compatriots. It's a pity that their suggestion can't reach Li Mudi's ears, and even if the latter hears it, he can't change the tactics that he has finally decided.

The Spanish commentator chatted with the special guest of the game, the former Real Madrid coach and general manager Baldano, about the low-key performance of the Torino coach at the pre-match press conference, and the latter said with a smile on his face: "I know Lee too well, he is the staff I recruited before I left Real Madrid in 2011, and the initial position offered to him at that time was still a translator, yes, it is the same job Jose did when he was at Camp Nou when he followed Sir Robson, hehe!" ”

As we all know, Baldano has a very bad relationship with Jose Mourinho, and the former left the Bernabeu because he was swept away by losing the battle with the current Manchester United manager, so it is not surprising that he made sarcastic remarks on this occasion. Not only did he feel happy, but at the same time, he could increase the viewership of the broadcaster, which was a big joy for everyone, of course, except for the one who was shot while lying down.

After the interlude, the conversation quickly returned to normal, and Baldano continued: "Lee is a traditional Oriental at heart, modest, cautious, and rarely fights pointlessly, but if you think that he is not ruthless or is giving in, then it is likely that he will not be able to eat and walk around." ”

'He's a genius in his job as head coach and although I left Real Madrid early on and there was limited direct communication with him since then, I still occasionally get in touch by phone. As you know, I had some success when I was the head coach, and at first he was asking me some questions about communication with the players and tactical strategy, but soon I found that our communication began to turn into mutual discussions, until then he rarely called, probably because he felt that I couldn't keep up with his level, haha! Just kidding. ”

"I read the briefing of the press conference and knew what Lee had said. Don't look at him saying that he doesn't care about winning or losing the game, and just wants to learn more from his opponent, what else? Ah, he said a lot of flattering words to Atletico Madrid, which was considered by the outside world to be cowardly before fighting. But in my opinion, it's all smoke bombs, this kid is not as harmless as he looks, he has a super desire to win. I remember that when he first took over the translation work, he made a grammatical mistake and was ridiculed by other colleagues. As a result, I immediately went back to study hard for more than a month, and mastered the Spanish language thoroughly, and even memorized some rare words unique to Catalonia, which is better than those born in Madrid. ”

"I'm not saying this here to betray Lee, do you think his deliberate low profile can really paralyze Atletico? Simeone and those are not fools, I just want to remind those who think Torino will lose this game to be a lot better than you think, and don't miss out on such a classic game because of negligence. ”

While the commentators were commenting on the upcoming final, the time had already arrived at 20:15 on May 17, 2018 French time (due to the schedule problems encountered by the protagonist team, the final match in the article was pushed back by one day, but it would not cause any interference to other events), and the Parc Olympique de Lyon, completed in 2016 and capable of accommodating up to 59,186 spectators, was already full two hours in advance. The respective supporters of both sides, as well as a number of football legends and UEFA officials, were ready for the opening whistle.

Before that, though, there was a brief opening ceremony.

Lyon legend and former France international Abidal, holding the European League championship trophy in his hand, slowly walked into the field under everyone's attention. After showing everyone a bit, he turned back to the sidelines and placed the trophy on the table outside the exit of the players' tunnel, which officially opened the curtain on the final stage.

Then, on the stage that had been set up in the stadium, a well-known band from France began to perform before the game, and at the same time, the equipment behind them and around them began to set off huge fireworks, which was an eight-minute visual feast that completely ignited the atmosphere in the stadium.

And the pre-game high. The tide came in partly with players from both sides, with both teams walking past the trophies on either side of the stands, each passing by the silver cup, which represents the second highest honour of a European club. In the process, their eyes were inevitably drawn to the trophy, and even Casillas, who had been through countless storms and waves, could not suppress his inner desire for success, and the players' eyes revealed their determination to win. Compared with the ease of greeting each other in the players' tunnel a minute ago, from this moment on, the competition between the two sides instantly reached a white-hot state.

After that, it was the part where the two teams sang the team songs, and Li Mudi on the sidelines also sang the whole song "Ancora Toro" again after the Italian Cup final a week ago. I have to say that this song is really impressive, coupled with the chorus of more than 10,000 Torino fans at the scene, so that the Torino side did not fall behind in the competition with more Atletico Madrid fans.

After the song, taking advantage of the captains of the two teams to choose sides and tee off, and each did the final warm-up exercise, Li Mudi and the opposing assistant coach Boggs completed the handshake session. Both of them grew up in Spanish football, and although they had little contact before, they were not completely strangers to each other, and they still smiled and chatted.

But the atmosphere of the river crab disappeared immediately after the opening whistle of the referee on duty, Björn Kujpels of the Netherlands, and the two coaches were replaced with serious, grim faces.

Atletico took advantage of the kick-off to launch an immediate attack, with all four midfielders dominating the half, and the two forwards also testing the defensive tension of the Torino team through active running, looking like they were going to take advantage of the opposition's unstable footing to launch an attack.

The Torino players, who had been prepared, did not panic as their opponents had hoped, with the two strikers dropping back to help their team-mates in a siege as soon as they spotted Atletico's intentions. Keeping in mind the manager's pre-match strategy, they focused on the playmakers of Gabi, Koke and Saul, forcing the Sheets to hand Correa on the right. The latter's dribbling skills, while excellent, are a bit too sticky and they are more afraid of high-intensity physical confrontations from defenders.

As a result, the attack ended with Bareka deliberately leaking the route for the Argentine to cross and the landing point was easily cleared by Ranocchia, and the ball was won by Vukovevic. Seeing this, the Atletico midfielder immediately retreated to his own half, not giving Torino a chance to play a quick counterattack.