Third all-LaLiga Champions League final clash fast approaches

The stage is set in Milan for the Champions League final, where once again LaLiga will play a key role in Europe's showpiece fixture. It will be the sixth bout in the competition's history between two clubs that hail from the same country, and the third with an all-Spanish flavour to it. Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid will do battle on Saturday in a bid to crown themselves kings of the continent.

Back in 2000, Real Madrid faced Valencia CF in Paris in the first final between two teams from the same country. It was always on the cards, given that LaLiga provided three of the four semi-finalists that season, with Valencia getting the better of FC Barcelona 5-3 on aggregate at that stage. Real Madrid ran out 3-0 winners in the final with goals by Fernando Morientes, Steve McManaman and Raul Gonzalez at the Stade de France firing Los Blancos to an eighth European Cup success.

Three years later two Italian giants went head-to-head when AC Milan edged out Juventus on penalties at Old Trafford, while the all-English final in 2008 was decided by the same fate, with Manchester United FC holding their nerve against Chelsea FC in Moscow. Wembley hosted a thrilling all-Bundesliga encounter in 2013 between FC Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund in which the Bavarians prevailed thanks to Arjen Robben's late winner in a 2-1 victory.

In recent years, however, Spanish clubs have wiped the floor with the rest of Europe, with LaLiga sides disputing the 2014 and 2016 finals. Real Madrid needed extra-time in Lisbon to rack up a 4-1 victory over Atletico Madrid in an enthralling contest which was the first final between two teams from the same city in the competition's history. It has taken just two seasons for a repeat clash in the Milan showdown that will bring the curtain down on domestic football for the campaign, with a third consecutive Liga BBVA Champions League winner on the horizon.