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The first ever UEFA Europa League final will have a magical angle to it as Fulham take on Atletico Madrid in the confines of the HSH Nordbank Arena in Germany. There has been so much attention in the lead up to the game about the fairytale ride of the English Premier League club from rank outsiders to finalists. There could yet be a perfect ending to this tale and that could be the crowning glory to a competition that has so often been derided as the losers league with many of the teams taking part having been given a place after elimination from the more prestigious Champions League.

But tell that to both Fulham and Atletico Madrid. Neither would be willing to trade their place in the final for anything else at this stage of the season. The Cottagers have been putting their heart and soul into the competition and getting to Germany the moment they realised they were not out of place amongst Europe’s elite this season. Atletico Madrid are looking to win the trophy to make up for another poor season in their domestic league and could be on track for a pretty good Cup double after having qualified for the Copa del Rey final in Spain.

The path to their first ever European final has been littered with amazing comebacks and monumental upsets for Fulham. Coached by the evergreen Roy Hodgson and led by striker Bobby Zamora, the Cottagers have been a revelation on the European front. Not expected to go beyond the initial group stages, the modest London club has exceeded even the wildest expectations many of their fans may have had. They have beaten European giants the likes of Juventus, Hamburg, and defending champions Shakhtar Donetsk failed to get the better of them. During the group stage, Fulham also drew parity with Italian legends Roma when most would have capitulated under the pressure.

Made up of budget talents and journeyman footballers, Fulham have prospered under the guidance of the experienced Roy Hodgson who is finally getting recognition for a career that has spanned the world over but rarely been noticed by the media nor his fellow colleagues in the sport. The English gentleman has had a long and distinguished coaching pedigree. He was the man who was responsible for guiding Switzerland to their first World Cup finals appearance in 1994 since the 1960s and even brought them as far as the last 16. The Serie A giants Inter Milan also had the privilege of being led by Hodgson whom the Italian club’s president praised as a perfect gentleman and great coach he had the greatest respect for.

Standing in Fulham’s way will be the famous but notoriously dysfunctional Atletico Madrid. The La Liga club are one of the most well supported teams in Spanish football. Ironically they face constant pressure to deliver silverware because of fans’ high expectations despite having much less financial backing than neighbours Real Madrid. Reaching the Europa League final would normally be considered an achievement but for Atletico, they are now expected to go on and win it especially with Fulham being their opponents. Their players would certainly be motivated to do well since such opportunities are hard to come by. Having already eliminated the likes of Liverpool, Valencia and Sporting Lisbon through a combination of resilience and no small amount of luck via away goals, they find themselves in an unfamiliar position of being cast as favourites to be the first Europa League champions.

Atletico Madrid coach Quique Sánchez Flores will be banking on the goalscoring talents of Sergio Aguero and Diego Forlan to land him only his second silverware in a short managerial career so far. The nephew of famous Flamenco singer-dancer Lola Flores, the young manager will also have several established footballers like Jose Antonio Reyes, Simao and Jurado to plot a victory over the club’s less illustrious opponents. Flores will need to ensure his side does not collapse from the pressure of being favourites – something that Atletico is all too familiar with. If the club can go on to win two Cups this season, Flores would almost certainly be allowed to stay in the job.

A tense and nervous start is expected in the Fulham vs Atletico Madrid live Europa League final given that both teams would be desperate not to pass up on a rare chance for European glory. For the Premier League side, theirs will be akin to an adventure and Hodgson is sure to urge his players to savour the moment. That may prove to be the key factor that swings the battle in their direction against the unpredictable but inconsistent Atletico. For the neutrals, witnessing the Cottagers go full circle by winning the title as an underdog would mean a triumph for the Beautiful Game.