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Sport

02nd May 2017

Here’s the official reason Atletico Madrid aren’t wearing their home kit tonight (and another theory, too)

Ridiculous...

Simon Lloyd

Yet again, Atletico Madrid face Real Madrid in another crunch Champions League meeting.

As well as the heart-breaking penalty shoot-out defeat to their city rivals in Milan last season, Atleti also lost Lisbon’s 2014 final to them in extra time and a 2015 quarter-final.

With a place in this year’s final at stake, those tuning in for the game at the Bernabeu on Tuesday evening will notice that Diego Simeone’s men aren’t kitted out in their usual red and white striped shirts and blue shorts.

Despite playing in their home colours in each of their last Champions League meetings with Real, this time they will wear their predominantly black away strip.

Officially, the reason for this is because Uefa have decided – even though nobody really seemed to have a problem with it during their last four Champions League meetings – that the two club’s home kits might clash. Because, y’know, it’s really difficult to tell apart the Atletico and Real players in images like this, isn’t it?

There’s also been a few suggestions floating around in the Spanish capital that Atleti are quite open to the idea of switching kits for the game on the grounds of superstition. As pointed out by outlets such as AS, wearing their home colours hasn’t exactly brought them much luck in their previous meetings with Los Blancos. Perhaps this seemingly insignificant switch might bring a change in fortunes?