Navas was in goal, with Marcelo, Vermaelen, Varane, and Danilo across the back; Isco, Casemiro, and Modrić in midfield; and Di Maria, Yang Yang, and Vázquez up front.
When Simeone saw Real Madrid's starting lineup, his first reaction was that they were playing a 4-3-3. His second was to laugh.
What were Zidane and Yang Yang trying to do?
Hazard was not starting, Suarez was not starting, and neither Toni Kroos nor David Silva was starting. Instead, they had put Isco on the pitch. That was rather unexpected.
"What exactly are those two trying to do?" Simeone muttered with a frown, clearly unable to figure out what Yang Yang and Zidane had in mind. "Are they trying to play possession football by starting Isco?"
But that did not seem right. In theory, it should not have been Isco.
Still, since he could not figure out their intentions, he simply set the matter aside for the time being and stopped guessing.
Simeone had also prepared a surprise for Real Madrid in this match: Carrasco.
"Have a taste of the gift I prepared especially for you." Simeone gave a sinister chuckle.
The grass at Calderon Stadium was slightly slippery.
Clearly, Atletico Madrid had watered the pitch quite heavily before the match. Real Madrid's players had noticed it as soon as they walked onto Calderon Stadium.
But what truly surprised everyone at Real Madrid was how aggressively Atletico Madrid came out at the start.
Playing at home, and with the confidence and courage given them by the 0-0 result in the first leg, they had plenty of belief.
On paper, Atletico Madrid seemed to be playing a 4-4-2. In practice, however, their formation looked more like a 4-3-3. Torres led the line, with Carrasco and Griezmann on either flank, and it