Real Madrid secured their place in the Champions League final following a 1-0 aggregate victory over Manchester City on Wednesday.

Here are five key questions to consider ahead of their showdown with Atletico Madrid at the San Siro on May 28 ...

Who is better than they were in 2014?

Consider the trajectory of the Madrid rivalry since that historic 2013-14 campaign for both sides. Atletico Madrid won the title that season and are undefeated against Real Madrid in the league since then but have lost both European ties to their neighbours during that time -- the 2014 final in Lisbon and the 2014-15 quarterfinals.

As if to emphasise how close these teams are in every way, both of those Champions League encounters went right to the final minutes, and the teams are currently deadlocked at the top of La Liga. The question is: what small differences will prove important, and how much has changed in two years? Atletico have the same supercharged manager in Diego Simeone, but very different personnel, with only seven veterans of the 2013-14 campaign. Real Madrid have exchanged one of the most experienced Champions League managers in Carlo Ancelotti for a novice, Zinedine Zidane, but have only added more match-winning stars in that time.

Given their fine recent runs in both competitions, this could come down to the minor differences. In 2014, for example, Atletico lost the outlet of Diego Costa to injury, but they currently have the rapid Antoine Griezmann at his peak. Real, meanwhile, have Cristiano Ronaldo, who is somehow in even better form than he was two years ago.

This historic fixture is so close that it could just come down to blind luck on the day.

Can Atletico finally exorcise all of their ghosts?

If it feels unfair that Atletico's chance at glory again comes against the neighbours who have complicated their history more than any other club, just remember that this setup also gives them the opportunity for the ultimate redemption.

This could be the result that forever changes their future, which would be very fitting given that Simeone has already changed everything else about the side. This could well finish the job. In the semifinals, after all, they finally buried the painful memories of their first European Cup final in 1974 by beating Bayern Munich. Now, they can bury the ghosts of 2014 by beating Real Madrid on the biggest stage of all. This could be more than third time lucky. It could be a landmark.

The only problem is that if they once again lose to Real, it could create even greater problems. Any future league victory would feel hollow. There's also the issue of whether their hugely difficult run to the final will further embolden Atletico or gradually exhaust them.

Simeone's side have had to beat the defending champions in Barcelona, arguably the next-best team in the world in Bayern Munich and now the team that mean so much to them in Real Madrid.

It takes an awful lot to keep rising to the such a high level, and that can sap you. Atletico at least have the benefit of a manager that gives teams more psychological fire than any other. He can burn all bad memories from their past and spark them to create a better future.

Can Zidane again produce magic in the biggest of matches -- from the sidelines?

While Simeone has gradually become one of the modern Champions League's most prominent figures, that is not the case for his former playing rival Zidane -- at least as a coach.

Having starred in one of the competition's finest-ever moments by scoring the glorious volley that helped Real win the 2002 final against Bayer Leverkusen, the French star becomes the 14th individual to compete in this fixture as both a player and a manager.

The remarkable thing is that many say his greatly admired feats on the pitch have influenced his team as much as his nascent managerial abilities. Bernabeu sources say that even their biggest stars instantly respond well to Zidane due to his achievements, and he then has the charisma to go with it.

That has meant he has passed the first challenge -- commanding the attention of the squad -- that his predecessor, Rafael Benitez, struggled with, but he has followed with some canny management.

Prove of the latter can be seen in their fine recent run of results. Getting a team to the line is one thing in management, though. Getting it over the line tends to require deeper coaching qualities. As well as Zidane has done, he still hasn't been in enough fixtures to be properly judged. Roberto Di Matteo won the competition with Chelsea in 2012, after all, and never progressed. There's also the inescapable fact that Real's route to the final -- Roma, Wolfsburg and Manchester City -- has been hugely forgiving, and much easier than Atletico's. Will that lull them into a false sense of security in Zidane's first huge test, or will it add to the confidence he has restored?

What will tell: stars or steadiness?

As close as Real and Atletico are in terms of geography and quality, they could not be more different in terms of team profile and character.

Simeone has gradually hewn a team built on defensive rigour, where the players have become almost interchangeable and any attackers have earned fame through maximum work and efficiency.

Zidane, meanwhile, has been placed in charge of a collection of expensive individuals and asked to facilitate their brilliance. It means Atletico spend many elite games mostly defending and then hoping it comes together in lightning counters, while Real hope to overwhelm opposition with individual moments of quality.

One is so tight and minimalist, the other necessarily expansive but also open. It is one of the most miserly defences against one of the most prolific attacks. It is the team as the star against a collection of stars.

Source:
courtesy of ESPNFC

by Miguel Delaney

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