Champions League final: Lionel Messi admits Barcelona cheering for Atletico in revenge mission against Real Madrid

Atletico face Real in the Champions League final in a repeat of their 2013/14 clash

Lionel Messi has admitted Barcelona do not want Real Madrid to win the Champions League (Getty)

Lionel Messi admits the city of Barcelona will be cheering on Atletico Madrid in the Champions League final because “they don’t want to see Real Madrid win anything”, with the forward stoking the flames of the El Clasico rivalry ahead of the final round of La Liga fixtures.

Barcelona are one win away from beating Real to the title, but face the prospect of watching their two Spanish rivals battling it out for the right to succeed the Catalans as Champions League winners. Atletico knocked the reigning champions out of the competition in the quarter-finals, triggering a blip for Barcelona that they managed to recover from in time to hold on to their La Liga lead by the slimmest of margins.

Real are targeting their 11th victory in the European Cup final, more than any other club in the history of the tournament by some margin, and they secured the famous La Decima success in the 2013/14 final by defeating Atletico in a repeat of this season’s finale.

Revenge is very much the buzzword for Atletico, having come within minutes of lifting the trophy only for a Sergio Ramos equaliser to take matters to extra time, and Messi will have his Atletico hat on when the two clubs meet in 28 May.

Speaking in an interview with ESPNFC.co.uk, Messi said: “Always for Barcelona, the fans don't want to see Real Madrid win anything, as they also feel toward us. But in the end it is a final that they made it to again and for us, we just need to focus on what we can win.”

As well as the league title, Barcelona meet Europa league finalists Sevilla in the Copa del Rey final, and Mesi believes that two out of three trophies will be sufficient to appease the desire for silverware at the Nou Camp.

“We have two finals left, and it would be great to end the season winning them both,” Messi said of their final La Liga match and the Spanish Cup final. “It also would have been great to have been in the Champions League final but it wasn't to be. So winning two of three would be spectacular.”

On the subject of two out of three, Real will be looking to claim their second Champions League crown in three years, having conceded the trophy to Barcelona last season. Victory could well decide the fate of manager Zinedine Zidane, but in Atletico they face a side that they have not beaten this season.

“They are a team very uncomfortable to play against,” Messi said of Atletico’s strengths. “And [Diego Simeone] deserves much merit for what he has done and made his players believe in him and do things perfectly because he has been at this for a while now. Apart from this he has very good players and reserves, who also come in and do the job when they get a chance.”